Friday Night, Saturday Morning
by aurghhh
Summary: As Emily Fields settles into life at Uni, she becomes fascinated by Paige McCullers, the bass player of a local punk band. [AU: nerdy!Emily x punk!Paige]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Just started this one. It will likely be a long one.

We're going AU here, and since we're going AU, I thought I'd make it easy on myself and set this in Melbourne. So, yeah, it's Australian Paily.

Sections in italics are flashforwards.

* * *

><p><em>They were gathered in Spencer's basement. Of course, a basement may not sound like much, but everything in her house was larger and more deluxe than it sounded. Their dining room could comfortably sit over twenty, and their 'entertainment area' was big enough that they could have a hundred people over, something they regularly did.<em>

_So the basement itself could hold a large party, and had a sound system that would put a small nightclub to shame. When the Hastings had one of their famous soirees, it would be the adults upstairs and the older children and teenagers down here, safely out of the way._

_Tonight it was just the four of them, though, eschewing the couches and armchairs, relaxing instead on the beanbags._

_"So Em, tell me about your new found interest in live music," Spencer said. "Aria tells me you've suddenly become a denizen of the night, haunting the seedier bars of Fitzroy and Collingwood."_

_"There's a band I like, that's all," Emily replied._

_"Emily Fields likes a band!" Hanna exclaimed. "Are they some sort of sci-fi nerd band?"_

_"No," Emily replied. "They're just a band, Hanna."_

_"Who are they?" Hanna asked. "I want to know if you're actually becoming cool."_

_"You wouldn't have heard of them," Emily replied._

_"Try us," Spencer said._

_"Look, it doesn't matter," Emily responded. She wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed, but she was._

_"I know," Aria reminded her. "If you don't want to tell them, I can."_

_Emily glared at Aria for a moment, but the other girl was undeterred._

_"They're called The Snotrags," Emily finally answered, barely able to make the words come out of her mouth._

_The others laughed, not helping Emily's embarrassment._

_"The what?" Spencer asked, though from the look on her face she'd clearly heard._

_"The Snotrags," Emily repeated. "They're a punk band."_

_The others kept laughing. They were lucky they were her friends._

_"Oh my god, Em!" Hanna shrieked. "That is so fucking cool. We have to give you a makeover. Do you want your hair green or red? And you need more piercings. I can take you into town tomorrow, you'll be looking scary in no time."_

_"Hey, Em, tell them what the tour is called," Aria suggested. _

_Emily glared at her again, but to no avail._

_"On The Rag," she replied, to more howls of laughter_

_"So why is Emily sits-up-the-front-in-Physics-and-argues-with-the-teacher-about-atomic-structure Fields suddenly going to crusty pubs and listing to punk music?" Spencer asked._

_"I just like them," Emily answered. "It's fun."_

_"Aria?" Spencer prompted._

_"I'm not saying anything," Aria replied._

_"Oh, now you decide to keep quiet," Emily pointed out. Aria just smiled and had a sip of her drink._

_"Who is she?" Hanna demanded._

_"What?" Emily asked, though she knew she was only stalling._

_"Who is she?" Hanna repeated. "Come on, Em, it's obvious. Who is this girl that is going to turn our delicate little Emily into a hardcore punk rocker?"_

* * *

><p>The music was so loud it just sounded like a wall of static to Emily. She didn't understand why it had to be so loud. If they'd just turn it down a little everyone could hear better, and people might be able to talk. Then there was the room. The carpet was sticky, the whole place stank of beer, and she could hardly breath after the smoke machine had done it's job.<p>

"I thought you liked jazz," she shouted to Aria.

"I do, but I like this as well," Aria replied, equally loudly.

"Why did you invite me?" Emily asked.

"It's not as much fun alone," Aria explained. "Spencer wouldn't come because she says it's too loud and the place is disgusting, and Hanna wouldn't come because she says you can't dance to it."

Emily allowed herself a bit of a chuckle. She was turning into Spencer. No, check that, they'd both been like this for a while. Why did they argue so much when they were so alike?

But the fact that Emily was even here was something. All through high school she had been the unsocial one of the group. It's not like she didn't like going out, but her idea of fun was hanging out with her three best friends. While Hanna was out clubbing, Spencer was entertaining guests at her parents' lawyer get-togethers and Aria was going to exclusive parties with her artist friends, Emily would be at home reading, whether it was epic fantasy novels or books on theoretical physics.

Sometimes even her mother would worry she spent too much time at home.

"Why don't you call one of your friends?" Pam would ask.

"I was reading a really interesting article in the newspaper about teenage drug use," Emily would reply. "Apparently it's increased dramatically just in the last few years."

If that didn't put her off, Emily would move on to teen pregnancy statistics. Not that that would work these days.

Since Emily had finished school and gone to Uni, however, things had changed. Before she had been spending all of her time in a boring suburban house, going to a boring suburban school, and shopping at a boring suburban shopping centre. Now she was going into the city every day, meeting new people, going to cafes and theatres and parties, seeing a life that had seemed so exotic not too long ago. There was so much going on around her, and she had so much freedom.

And that was how she found herself here, at a punk 'gig', as Aria called it. She studied the people around here. They looked slightly intimidating, at least to someone unfamiliar with this subculture like Emily, but they seemed nice enough. There was a lot of denim, and leather, a couple of mohawks, but less than Emily had expected.

It was the dancing that really scared her, though. They just seemed to throw themselves into each other. It wasn't even really dancing, just, well, colliding. Emily was glad she and Aria were well back from that.

"Did you want a drink?" Aria asked.

"Lemon squash, thanks," Emily replied.

Aria disappeared into the mass of people as she headed off to the bar. Emily was the only one of her friends who didn't drink alcohol, but they never gave her any flak about it, though Hanna did try to sneak some gin into Emily's lemonade one night. As soon as Emily tasted it she knew what had happened. Spencer and Aria told Hanna off, but Hanna didn't seem that sorry.

As out of place as Emily was here, she still found it intriguing. What was the attraction of it all? There wasn't any real melody to the music, or if there was it was lost to the shear volume of it all, not to mention the distortion from their amplification. Even the rhythm was fairly basic, just a fast beat, accenting the two and four.

She started letting herself move the the music, but all she could really do was nod her head and tap one foot in time. It was quite different to the nightclub she went to the other week. That was too loud as well, but at least the music made you want to dance, however repetitive it was.

Emily tried to look through the crowd to see the band. As tall as she was, all she could really see was hair flying back and forth.

Aria arrived back with their drinks.

"What do you think?" Aria asked.

"It's loud," Emily replied.

Aria just smiled. She knew that Emily was too polite to say any more.

"We can go somewhere else if you want," Aria suggested.

"No, I said I'd come, and I'm going to tough it out," Emily responded. "Anyway, it's interesting. It's different."

"I'm the one doing sociology, Em," Aria reminded her.

Emily found herself scanning the crowd again. She really meant it when she said it was interesting. This wasn't the kind of place Emily would normally go, but the people here weren't that strange. Maybe a bot more flannel then usual, and the footwear of choice seemed to be all connies or boots, but that was about it.

As she looked around, Emily's mind began to wonder. There were some seriously attractive women in the room. Emily had been single ever since she and Maya broke up, and while she hadn't been on the look-out, it wasn't like the thought had never crossed her mind.

At that point she made eye contact with a woman at one of the tables. She hadn't meant to, but it just happened. She hated this. The woman was maybe early thirties, had multi-coloured dreadlocks, and was dressed in a black tank-top and black tights. And now she was looking at Emily.

She smiled at Emily, and Emily froze. Should she smile back? What if this woman thought Emily was checking her out? Emily looked away. Oh god, now this poor woman probably thought Emily was gawking at her. She could probably tell Emily was new here and thought Emily was looking around judging everyone. Emily had to be polite.

She looked back. The woman in black was still looking at her. Emily smiled. The woman raised one eyebrow.

Shit.

Emily turned and stared bolt forward.

"Let's go up the front," Aria suggested, oblivious to Emily's dramas.

"OK," Emily agreed, sensing an escape. She downed the rest of her drink in one go and was ready to set off into the melee.

They pushed they way through the mass of bodies, and soon they were separated. Emily was knocked into and jostled along the way, but for some reason she didn't mind. She let herself go, and moved with the pack as it surged back and forth. She was covered with sweat now, but she was starting to understand. There was something exhilarating about this, the sound, the energy, the crush of people around her. The chaos. She was losing herself in the maelstrom, and she was loving it.

She was pushed forward and found herself in front of the stage.

Directly ahead of her was the bass player, a wiry, athletic woman around Emily's age. She had the tank-top and the tight jeans which were so popular here, but a lot more tattoos. Like, lots of them. Her part seemed to consist of only a few notes played over and over, but she played them with intensity and determination, her eyes fixed on her fretboard as her hands pounded the strings. As she played, her long hair shook violently, forming a cloud around her head.

Emily became transfixed, watching as this woman seemed to attack her guitar, driving the bass line on and on. The roaring notes kept coming, propelling the sound into the audience. Emily watched the sweat trickle down the other woman's body, over her glistening skin and the tight muscles that were powering her playing.

It was mesmerizing. Emily had never seen someone play quite like this, and it was more than the sound that was exciting Emily now. It was this woman in front of her, with her fervent playing, her contained yet powerful presence, her focus, her strength, and her stunningly ripped body. Emily was oblivious to everything else now.

And at that moment Emily realized that she was feeling something else. In just a few minutes, the space of less than a song, this woman had captured her. Emily was intrigued, she was entranced, she was… fuck!… she was turned on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: **More Australian Paily. No idea how many parts this will be, but I'm guessing at least 10. Again, sections in italics are flashforwards.

* * *

><p><em>"Hanna, just because I do something different, it doesn't mean there has to be a girl involved," Emily insisted.<em>

_"Is she hot?" Hanna asked._

_"Oh, just shut up," Emily said, getting flustered now._

_"Does she have tattoos?" Hanna asked._

_Emily did her best to ignore her friend, so Hanna turned to Aria, who silently gestured up and down her arms._

_"Aria!" Emily snapped._

_"I didn't say anything," Aria pointed out._

_"What's she look like?" Hanna asked, going straight to Aria this time._

_Aria held her hand above her head at full stretch, then flexed her arms in a vain attempt to show her muscles._

_"Are we playing charades here?" Spencer asked._

_"It's fun," Hanna responded. "And now we know Emily's dating a seven foot tall bodybuilder."_

_"She's not..." Emily began to protest, but Hanna's smile stopped her in her tracks. _

_"Come on, Hanna," Spencer cut in. "You know full well that arms length over Aria's head isn't even six foot, let alone seven."_

_"Hey!" Aria exclaimed, playfully pushing Spencer. _

_"Five and a half, maybe," Spencer added._

_"Here am I, helping you guys out," Aria noted._

_"It's not a bad thing," Hanna protested. "Being tiny is one of the things that makes you so adorable."_

_"No, that's it," Aria declared. "I'm not going to tell you anything else."_

_"Good," Emily said._

_"Emily," Spencer began. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but your friends are not going to keep your secrets. You may as well tell us."_

_Emily sighed, but she knew Spencer was right._

_"Her name is Paige McCullers," Emily began. "She's the bass player for The Snotrags, and she's gorgeous."_

* * *

><p>Emily had never masturbated just to the thought of a woman playing the bass guitar before, but there's a first time for everything. And pretty soon afterwards there was a second, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth...<p>

She kind of felt bad now, like she was shallow. She didn't know anything about this woman, not even her name. For some reason it felt wrong fanticising about a woman Emily knew so little about. But not so wrong that she stopped doing it.

So she decided to do some research. She googled "The Snotrags", and after a few unsavoury results found one about the band. The bass player was... Paige McCullers. Hmm. She wondered if it should be Paige McPuke, or something like that. Maybe punk bands didn't do that anymore.

But at least she had a name now. The woman she had become so fascinated with was Paige McCullers.

Emily found herself wondering what Paige was like. Was she full of fire and aggression, confronting life head on and never backing down? Or did she become quiet and reserved once she stepped down off stage? Did she dream of being a rock star? Or was this just something she did for fun with her friends?

Emily knew that the punk rock bass player she saw that night was probably a persona, a constructed figure maybe nothing like the woman behind her. And Emily was fascinated by that woman, the one she hadn't seen, the one who would step up and become the hot rock chick that Emily had beheld.

But at the same time, Emily also knew they came from different worlds.

* * *

><p>When Emily had come home that night, her mother had been able to smell her the moment she walked in the door.<p>

"You've been drinking," Pam called from her room as Emily walked in.

"I don't drink, mum, we just went to a pub," Emily called back.

Emily was used to her mother being awake no matter what hour she arrived home. What she still wasn't used to, and probably never would be, was her mother's ability to tell exactly where she had been by smell alone.

"I thought you were going out to listen to music with Aria," Pam responded, confused.

"I was," Emily replied. "I mean, I did. A lot of bands play in pubs."

"Well wash your clothes," Pam insisted. "They stink."

"It's one o'clock in the morning, mum," Emily reminded her.

"I don't care," Pam responded. "They smell revolting."

It was no use protesting. If she didn't do it her mother would. So Emily had a shower and did a load of washing before she went to bed.

The next morning Emily's ears were ringing, but she was careful not to let her mother know. Pam was already dubious about whether Emily should go out anywhere ever again. It wasn't so much that she didn't trust her daughter - Emily had always failed miserably at having an irresponsible youth - it was just that if things were going to smell like this them Pam really didn't know what to do.

"You've got your swimming practice this morning," Pam explained. "Imagine if you turned up smelling of alcohol."

"The pools are full of chlorine, mum," Emily reminded her. "That's all you can smell."

"Well, I could still smell it," Pam insisted.

"Mum, I've had two showers now, washed my hair, changed my clothes, everything," Emily reminded her. "There is no possible way you could still smell that I went to a pub last night. They've studied the human nose, it only has..."

"Well they haven't studied mine," Pam countered.

"That doesn't even make sense," Emily responded.

Pam said nothing. She was never swayed by science.

"What do you want to do?" Emily asked. "Burn all the clothes I wore?"

"Of course not," Pam replied. "That would smell even worse."

* * *

><p>On Monday Emily met up with Aria at Uni.<p>

"Sorry about the other night," Aria said. "It probably wasn't your scene."

"I didn't mind," Emily responded.

"It's OK, Em, you don't have to pretend," Aria assured her. "I won't drag you along again."

"It really wasn't that bad," Emily insisted. "If you're going again I'd be happy..."

Emily wanted nothing more than for Aria to drag her along again. At the same time, though, she didn't want to appear so enthusiastic as to invite questions.

"You don't have to do this just for me," Aria insisted. "You're the quiet type, you always have been. I respect that."

Sometimes being the quiet type kind of sucked.

* * *

><p>Emily had a plan. The Snotrags had another gig coming up, but it was in Frankston, so there was no way Aria would be there. Emily could go along, and once she got there she would somehow find the courage to go up to Paige and talk to her.<p>

She toyed with a few ideas for what to tell her mother, but she knew they wouldn't work.

"I'm going to see that band again," was what she ended up with. "I'll wear old clothes and put them straight in the wash when I get back."

By the time Pam had processed that, Emily was out the door.

The venue was larger, the audience a bit more mainstream, but the music was the same and the dancing was just as violent. Emily stood up the back for the first few songs, but she could still see Paige. And if she was being hones with herself, that was all that mattered. The music wasn't really her thing, and the songs did tend to blur into each other to Emily's ear, but Paige was in full flight, relentlessly attacking her guitar, and that was a sight to behold.

It occurred to her that she hadn't noticed much else about the band, apart from their sound and Paige. There seemed to be three other members on stage, two guitarists and a drummer. They weren't nearly as interesting as Paige, though.

Watching Paige play so aggressively was doing things to Emily. She could barely see the other woman's face, but even Paige's stance was hot, feet apart but planted firmly on the floor, elbows out as she played, leaning down over her instrument like a swimmer on the starting blocks, ready to unleash her energy.

Emily decided to move forward. She found a spot near the front, on Paige's side of the stage but outside of the surging mass of bodies that dominated the audience. There Emily could watch. A little voice in the back of her mind was asking her how she had become so obsessed with someone she didn't even know, but she told that voice to shut it's fucking face because she was sick of its whining. She just wanted to watch Paige in action. And she did. And it was glorious.

When they finished their set Emily mentally prepared herself. She had to wait for her chance, and go up to Paige and... say what? That she was a big fan? She wasn't. That she loved their music? She didn't. That she thought Paige was increadibly hot and she was kind of hoping she was into girls so they could get to know each other and possibly have that amazingly forceful sex she'd been dreaming about for most of the last week? Maybe not the best opening move.

Before they'd broken up, Maya had told Emily that she wasn't spontaneous enough, that she was always thinking too much. Emily had no idea what she was supposed to do about that, though. She couldn't stop thinking, and it was moments like these that she thought this was a good thing. Being spontaneous now could be a very bad idea.

In any case, The Snotrags were packing up their gear and going off behind the stage. Paige had disappeared, and was probably going to be hanging out backstage with all the musicians, the cool people, the punks. People who were everything Emily wasn't.

Emily felt stupid now. It was such a ridiculous idea, but here she was.

It as too early to admit defeat and go home, so she decided she may as well hang around for the next band.

She was thirsty, so she headed over to the bar. There was a bit of a queue, but eventually she made it to the front.

"A lemon, lime and bitters," she said, and the bartender nodded. She always thought ordering that drink made her sound more sophisticated for a non-drinker.

As he was pouring it, she heard a loud voice behind her.

"Musician coming through!" the voice announced. A low, slightly husky voice.

Emily turned and saw a figure pushing to the front of the queue. Some of the other patrons were clearly unimpressed, but the figure kept coming.

Fuck.

It was Paige.

Emily stood for a moment, gobsmacked.

Paige was standing right next to her.

At this point Emily noticed her drink was ready, so she hurriedly paid for it. The bartender turned to Paige.

"Four pots," she announced.

As her drinks were being poured, Paige turned to Emily.

"Hey, you were at the Tote the other night, right?" Paige asked.

Emily froze for a moment, then quickly looked around to see who else Paige might be talking to. But no, it was her.

"Yeah," Emily said.

"I remember you," Paige continued. "You were up the front. You looked like you were really getting into it."

"Um, yeah," Emily replied. She was trying to think what a cool person might say in response to this, but coming up blank.

"Are you here for us?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Emily confirmed. "Last week was the first time I'd seen you, and I had a great time. I really wanted to see you again."

She told herself she wasn't lying.

"New fans, that's fucking awesome," Paige exclaimed. "I try to tell the others, nerds like punk too."

Nerds?

Emily couldn't exactly argue, but was it that obvious?

Paige was presented with her tray of beers, grabbed it and headed off.

"Hey!" the bartender called out.

"It's OK, it's on the rider!" Paige called back

"There isn't..." the bartender began, but she was gone.

As the bartender swore under his breath, Emily was jostled away from the bar by other people wanting to get their drinks.

She stood for a while in the corner, sipping on her lemon, lime and bitters, which was actually quite nice, and processing the conversation she had just had.

Paige had noticed her. Paige had remembered her. Paige had spoken to her. And called her a nerd.

So much for making a good first impression.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I hope it's not too confusing - the conversation in italics at the start follows on in each chapter and is happening after the rest of the scenes. Hanna, Aria and Spencer are like the Greek chorus. Plus you have to imagine the conversation with Australian accents.

Chelsea is one of Paige's friends who I use in a lot of stories (Caitlin and Brian are the others).

Thank you all for your lovely comments and encouragement in the reviews.

devilsdictionary: Would I lose all of my punk cred if I said I didn't even know the song? I thought I'd just come up with a cool phrase, then I find someone has beaten me to it by over 30 years. But listening to it now, it fits perectly.

* * *

><p><em>"Oh. My. Freaking. God!" Hanna exclaimed. "You're dating a punk rocker? You have got some serious game, girl."<em>

_"I don't even know if we're dating," Emily cautioned. "We're both... interested, I guess, but it's early days."_

_"Still, I am so stoked," Hanna responded. "This is totally not like you at all. I mean, I'm not saying you're boring or anything..."_

_"What?" Emily interrupted._

_"Hanna!" Aria added._

_"I said I'm not saying that!" Hanna protested._

_"Hanna," Spencer explained. "If you have to say that you're not saying something then it means you probably are."_

_"Whatever," Hanna responded. "Look we all love you, Em, it's just you're very cautious normally. You're a sensible person... and that's good, really. I mean, sure, you could afford to loosen up a little..."_

_"Hanna!" Aria snapped again._

_"I'm just saying I'm happy for her," Hanna insisted. "I think it's great that she's not so uptight anymore."_

_"Thank you, Hanna," Emily responded. "I don't know what I'd do without your support."_

_"No worries," Hanna cheerfully replied._

_"So anyway," Spencer said. "Tell us all about this girl."_

_"I was thinking Aria could," Emily suggested. _

_"Hey, I only know bits of the story," Aria replied. "And none of the juicy bits."_

_"Well, some of them you do," Emily pointed out._

* * *

><p>Emily and Aria were sitting on the lawn at Uni. It was late afternoon, and they'd decided to do some study outside in the sun. Emily's mind was elsewhere though.<p>

"It is really that obvious that I'm a nerd?" Emily asked.

Aria looked up from her anthropology text book.

"What?" she asked.

"Can you tell I'm a nerd just by looking at me?" Emily asked.

Aria looked puzzled for a moment, then seemed to be considering her response.

"What earrings are you wearing today?" Aria asked.

"My solar system earrings," Emily admitted. There wasn't much else she could say.

"Em, there's nothing wrong with that, either," Aria continued. "You're smart, you're informed, you're passionate. Has someone being giving you shit? I'm more than happy to beat them up for you."

"No, it's not that," Emily assured her. "I was just wondering what sort of impression I make on people. I mean, I'm meeting a lot of new people now, and maybe I might put some of them off by being too... well, me."

"There is no such thing as too you," Aria insisted. "The only people you might put off are people you'd never really be friends with anyway. Be yourself, Em. You're an amazing person. Anything else would be a waste."

* * *

><p>It was another weekend, and another Snotrags gig, this time in Fitzroy. Emily had psyched herself up for this, and now it was time. She'd gone back and forth on what to wear, not sure whether to try to blend in or to take Aria's advice to heart and just be herself. In the end she'd compromised, with a floral dress, it was spring now after all, a denim jacket, black tights and boots.<p>

Emily paused for a moment outside the pub, steeling herself with a pep talk. She was going to be herself. She was going to be confident. She was going to ignore the contradiction between those two.

She went inside.

It was dark, but even in the low light the place looked like it could use some TLC. Still, it had a certain charm, all arched doorways with a vaguely Spanish style plaster rendering on the wall. The place was also very brown. In fact, it was possibly the most brown pub Emily had been to, though she hadn't really been to that many.

Emily wandered into the main lounge, where she could see The Snotrags setting up. She quickly spotted Paige, who was helping their drummer, a tall, vaguely bohemian looking guy in a beanie, set up the drum kit. Emily sat in the corner and discretely watched. Soon Paige was lifting her amp up onto the stage, her arm muscles nicely on display as she did. Emily found herself enjoying this almost as much as Paige playing.

Standing near the corner of the stage was a short, dark haired girl who looked almost as out of place as Emily. When Paige was finished setting up, she jumped off stage and bounded over to this girl. As the two of them were talking, Paige casually looked around the room and spotted Emily. She waved, then beckoned Emily over.

Emily could feel herself getting nervous. She wasn't ready for this. What would she say? What would she do?

She focused herself, then walked over slowly, as if she was just another fan, and not at all stalking the girl now waiting for her.

_Just be cool_, she thought. _Be yourself, but cool_.

"Hey, you came again!" Paige exclaimed as Emily approached.

Emily started thinking about all of the ways this could go wrong. There were quite a few of them.

"Yeah," Emily replied, figuring that the less she said, the less likely she would be to say the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even get your name last time," Paige said.

"It's Emily," Emily responded.

"Emily, this is Chelsea," Paige said, gesturing to her friend. "She's an old friend of mine. Chels, this is Emily, a new fan. Listen, I've gotta go, but you two should have a chat."

With that, Paige turned and disappeared backstage.

"Hi," Chelsea said.

"Hi," Emily responded.

The conversation paused.

As if the night wasn't awkward enough already, Emily was now trying to talk to someone she had only just met and knew nothing about. She was terrible at this. It was pretty cool that Paige had recognised her, but now what was she supposed to do?

Emily asked herself what a more confident person might say, but came up blank. She had to think. Paige had said Chelsea was a friend of hers. That was a start.

"So, how do you know Paige?" Emily asked.

"School," Chelsea replied.

"A ha," Emily added, hoping for more, but that seemed to be it.

That didn't get very far.

Someone came out and seemed to be adjusting microphones. Emily pretended to be interested to cover the gap in the conversation.

After a while she decided to try again.

"Are you a fan?" she asked. "Of the band, I mean."

Chelsea leaned in a little.

"Not really," she said. "I mean, I'm sure they're good, it's just not really my scene. I just come to support Paige. It's great that you're into it, though."

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "It's not usually my thing either. I kind of surprised myself when I saw them."

Which was true.

"I don't know," Chelsea said. "I guess I feel a little out of place here, but I really wanted to come."

"Me too," Emily agreed.

Emily was out of things to say again, but the other girl came to the rescue.

"So do you go to Uni?" Chelsea asked.

"Yeah, I'm at Melbourne, doing Science," Emily replied. "You?"

"Nursing at Monash," Chelsea responded.

"Do you like it there?" Emily asked.

"It's pretty good," Chelsea replied.

There was another pause. There wasn't even anyone on stage to watch now, making it all even more awkward.

"I've got a friend at Monash," Emily said eventually, making another try at extending the conversation. "She's doing Law, though."

"We don't mix with the Law students much," Chelsea pointed out. "Different circles. The only Law student I know is Spencer and she's not too..."

Emily's ears pricked up. There couldn't be that many Spencers around.

"Spencer?" she asked.

"It's this girl, um, Spencer Hastings," Chelsea explained. "We worked together for the Greens in the last student election. She tried to get me to join the Debaters, said it would help my confidence when I had to speak in public. Probably completely destroy what's left of it, but anyway."

Emily was still recovering from the shock. What were the chances?

"I, ah," she began, "I know Spencer."

"Cool," Chelsea responded.

"Actually she's one of my best friends," Emily elaborated. "That's who I was talking about."

"Wow," Chelsea said. "I'll tell her I ran into you next time we meet."

Great.

* * *

><p>The place was pretty much full by the time the band started. This felt more natural than the Frankston gig, like they were playing to a home audience.<p>

Emily decided that if she was going to be here, she would do it properly. She threw herself into it, pretty much literally, joining the swirling melee at the front of the crowd. It was an intense experience, scary at first, but far less painful than she had expected. Mostly she was swept back and forth across the room by the mass of bodies. It was fun, in its own way.

She was getting used to the music, too. It was still too loud for her tastes, and the distortion obscured any subtleties, but she was starting to be able to tell the songs apart, at least. Like, one song just had the bass playing through the verse, one song was slower, one song the singer was sort of snarling the vocal part. And one song was a Ramones cover, "I wanna be sedated". Despite her musically sheltered upbringing, she did recognise that. She decided not to tell them it was her favourite.

Soon she broke free, however. She could see where she was, and managed to step out of the swirling vortex that seemed to form most of the audience, and instead stand in place again, up the front, right in front of Paige.

Paige noticed her and flashed her a grin, then faced her squarely, playing her bass guitar straight to Emily. That stance, that look on her face, those muscles... oh God, Emily's heart was racing. Nerves made her want to back away, but somehow the thrill of the moment kept her there, looking back up at Paige as she banged her head in time to the music.

Her eyes were locked on Paige, Paige's locked on hers. She couldn't even hide it now. She didn't want to.

"Hey, what did you think?" Paige called out as she rushed over.

The set had finished. Emily had waited while they packed up and talked to the friends and fans who mobbed the stage to greet them afterwards. Emily was hoping Paige would see her again, notice her now she was off stage, and she did.

"It was fantastic," Emily enthused.

"You seemed to be getting into it," Paige agreed. "You did some serious moshing there."

"Would I look less cool if I admitted that I'm new to this?" Emily asked.

"Of course not," Paige replied. "Anyway, it's not about being cool, it's about enjoying yourself."

"That's good, because I don't usually mosh," Emily explained.

"That's fine," Paige assured her. "And I mean, three 'rags gigs pretty much makes you an old timer."

Paige was different off stage to on. It was her body language, her tone of voice. She was more of a polite host than a rock star.

"Hey, would you like a drink?" Paige asked, confirming Emily's thought. "We've used up all our rider so I was going to get some more beer."

"I was just going to get a lemonade," Emily answered.

"I'll get you one," Paige responded, and before Emily could answer headed off to the bar, Emily trailing behind.

"A jug of beer and a lemonade," Paige ordered.

"You were really good," Emily said as drinks were poured for them.

"Thanks," Paige responded. "We've been practicing a lot."

"I meant you personally," Emily clarified.

Paige grinned, but looked down at the floor, like she was embarrassed at the compliment.

Something came over Emily. She was usually shy, but for the second time that night she held her gaze, and when Paige looked up again Emily smiled slowly as their eyes met. She didn't usually do this, but it felt good.

The moment was broken by the bartender handing over their drinks, for which Paige paid. As she did, a man who Emily recognised as the drummer pushed through and with a brief "Hurry up", grabbed the jug of beer.

"Hey, fuckface!" Paige demanded, holding out her empty glass, which he promptly filled then left.

Paige downed most of her beer in one go, then turned back to Emily.

"You know, I had fun tonight," Paige declared.

Even as she spoke the two of them were being pushed away from the bar by other patrons, until they ended up leaning against the far wall.

"You looked like it," Emily agreed.

"I did, and not just because I was drunk either," Paige added.

"Are you drunk?" Emily asked She hadn't particularly noticed.

"Yeah, that's why they made be get the extra beer," Paige explained. "I drank most of the rider before we went on."

Emily gave a little chuckle.

"Well then, you played especially well," she said.

Paige dipped her head again, but when she looked up Emily could see something else going on in her eyes. Paige leaned forward to Emily.

"I could see the way you were looking at me," she whispered in Emily's ear.

Emily's breath caught. It was the words, and it was the feeling, the sensation of Paige speaking so quietly, but so close.

"I was playing for you," Paige added.

Emily hesitated for a moment. It was all happening so fast. She barely even knew this woman. Paige was drunk, that was the only reason she was saying this. What if she thought Emily was just after her because she was in a band? What if that was true?

Paige pulled back just a little. They faces were so close, their lips were so close.

Emily wondered whether she could do this? It wasn't like her at all. It really wasn't. Maybe that's why she was getting such a buzz. Fuck it.

She inched forward until their lips were touching, gently. They began to kiss. Paige tasted of alcohol, but Emily didn't mind. She slowly put her arms around Paige, and Paige responded in kind. She felt Paige's tongue lightly touch her lips, and as she did she opened her mouth...

"Emily?"

What?

"Em, is that you?"

It was Aria's voice.

Emily broke the kiss and turned to see her friend, standing there, not a metre away.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Aria said. "I didn't realise.**"**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thank you all again. And the song title reference in this chapter (you'll know it when you get to it) is actually deliberate this time. :)

Warning for minor violence.

PS I have tweaked the character's personalities a little, partly because of the concept for the story, partly to make them more Australian, and partly to make them a little more like actual teenagers. I hope they're all still recognisable. I've also decided that in this AU Emily and Aria are closer, similar to how they were in the PLL pilot. Plus they go to Uni together while the others don't.

* * *

><p><em>"One snog in a pub really isn't that juicy, Em," Aria noted.<em>

_"Compared to the rest of my love life for the past year it is," Emily countered._

_"What was she like?" Hanna asked. "Did she grab you and kiss you forcefully?"_

_"No," Emily responded. "It was just a kiss, OK."_

_"Don't get too excited," Spencer advised._

_Hanna wasn't finished yet, though._

_"Did she look at you with a steely gaze then take you in her arms and kiss you passionately, ravenously, leaving you breathless and spent?" Hanna asked._

_"Hanna, you've gotta stop reading your mum's romance novels," Aria pointed out._

_"Yeah, she's not a pirate," Spencer added._

_"Come on," Hanna insisted. "She must be a bit of a rough diamond. That's part of the attraction, isn't it? Quiet little Emily scores a hot punk rocker."_

_"She's not a stereotype, Hanna, she's a person," Emily countered. "She's complex, like everyone. She's got a quiet side too."_

_"Rugged, yet sensitive," said Hanna, wistfully._

_Emily went to dispute Hanna's characterisation of Paige, but caught herself. As she thought more about Paige, at least the little she knew of her, she found herself thinking that maybe Hanna was right. Maybe that was what intrigued her so much. _

_Damn. What a fucking cliche. Now Emily had something else to be embarrassed about. Oh well, there wasn't much she could do but go with it._

_"Something like that," Emily finally conceded._

_Hanna was grinning from ear to ear, and was so excited she could hardly sit still._

* * *

><p>Aria and Emily were having lunch in the Union Building, Emily having a chicken roll, while Aria had her favourite, dahl and rice. They did this pretty much every day, depending on classes, but after the weekend's encounter things were different. Aria kept glancing at Emily, with a sort of conspiratorial grin on her face.<p>

"Stop looking at me like that," Emily demanded.

"What?" Aria protested. "I'm looking at you with new found respect."

"Then why are you smirking?" Emily asked.

"This is not a smirk, this is a smile," Aria explained.

"I know a smile when I see it," Emily countered. "Just because you've got that innocent face doesn't mean you can fool me."

"I'm happy for you," Aria insisted. "And impressed."

"Yeah?" Emily asked.

"I am," Aria confirmed. "Barely two weeks ago I took you to your first gig. This was a whole new world for you, but you've embraced it..."

"OK, I see where you're going..." Emily interrupted.

"...passionately..." Aria added.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Emily continued.

"...yet tenderly," Aria concluded.

"You think you're so funny," Emily observed.

The grin on Aria's face confirmed this.

"Seriously though, Em... Score!" Aria said, holding her hand up.

Emily swatted at it, high-fiving her, but hitting a little harder than she had intended to, so that they both recoiled. Emily hand stung now, and Aria's obviously did as well.

"Sorry," Emily said.

"See, you're already getting more violent," Aria accused her. "It's this hard living lifestyle of yours."

"I'm really sorry," Emily pleaded.

"It's OK," Aria responded, with a reassuring smile.

Emily still felt bad.

"I think I'm a bit distracted," Emily explained.

"Why?" Aria asked. "Are you worried about something?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Emily replied.

"What? You should be happy," Aria insisted.

"I know," Emily responded. "I mean, it's not like my friends would tease me once they find out."

"I'm sorry, Em," Aria said. looking a little worried now. "I know we go too far sometimes, but you just keep surprising us."

"It's not really that, anyway," Emily explained. "I'm a bit nervous because I'm not really sure. I hardly know her, and already I'm obsessed with her. What if I'm making a mistake?"

"Give her a call, have a talk," Aria suggested. "You'll soon find out."

"I don't have her number," Emily responded, feeling like an idiot.

"You what?" Aria asked.

"I didn't ask her for her number," Emily explained. "And she didn't ask for mine."

"Oh," Aria commented.

"Yeah," Emily agreed.

"OK then," Aria added.

"She probably thinks I'm just some girl who wants to score with a musician," Emily speculated.

"Then let her know you're not," Aria suggested. "The next time you see her, ask her out or something."

"But what if that's all she wants?" Emily asked.

"Then she'll say no," Aria replied.

"Great," Emily responded.

Emily knew that Aria was right, but the possibility of being rejected was something she wasn't looking forward to.

"Listen, realistically, that might be the case," Aria said. "When you're in a band, you do get people after you, and some of them are stunningly beautiful..."

"I know," Emily interrupted. "She's probably got all these gorgeous girls after her..."

"I was going to say 'like you'," Aria clarified.

"I'm nothing special," Emily responded.

"Em, I've been to your house," Aria pointed out. "I know you have a mirror, which means you've seen yourself. It's no use protesting here."

Emily smiled a little.

"But that still..." Emily began, before losing her train of thought.

"I say go along, see her again, ask her out," Aria suggested. "And make sure you get her number this time."

* * *

><p>"No, absolutely not," Pam insisted.<p>

Emily knew her mother wouldn't be happy, but she still needed to find a way.

There had been good news and bad news. The good news was that she didn't have to wait for long before the next Snotrags gig. The bad news was that this was because they were playing midweek at a hotel in Brunswick, which would mean finding a way of getting out of the house.

"It's just one night," Emily argued.

"This is exactly what happens when students finish secondary school and go to University," Pam explained. "There aren't as many rules, you have to self-regulate your study, it all seems so much more free. This is why you have to make a routine and follow it strictly. We had a rule, no going out in the middle of the week."

"That was your rule, mum, not mine," Emily pointed out.

"And it's there for a reason," Pam countered. "You have a lecture Thursday morning and you need to prepare and have a good night's sleep if you're going to get the most out of it."

"I've got Wednesday afternoon off," Emily told her mother. "I can do my prep then. And I won't be out that late. I'll still get some sleep."

"The answer is still no," Pam maintained. "I know it's tempting at your age to think you can just bend the rules. You think you're an adult now..."

"I _am_ an adult, mum," Emily interrupted.

"You still live in this house," Pam reminded her.

Emily just rolled her eyes. That was always her mother's fall-back line.

"What's so important about this anyway?" Pam asked.

Emily thought for a moment. She couldn't tell her mother the whole story or she'd never be allowed out again, but she had to tell her something.

"There's someone that's going to be there," Emily began. "Someone I really want to see. It's... it's personal, mum. Please."

Her mother looked back at her, clearly concerned but not unsympathetic.

"Is there a problem of some sort?" Pam asked. "Is there something I need to know?"

"No, it's OK," Emily replied. "I just need to talk to her."

The room was quiet for a moment before Emily got a response.

"Alright," Pam conceded. "But this is a test. If you show me you can handle this maturely then I will trust you more."

"Thank you," Emily responded.

Now she was nervous.

* * *

><p>The King George Hotel was nowhere near as grand as its name. Emily was starting to feel a little apprehensive even. The crowd was smaller, but somehow didn't feel like the usual fans. They were less punk, but rougher.<p>

It was a relief that Paige spotted Emily not long after she came in.

"Hey, Em, I'm so glad to see you again," Paige said.

"I'm glad to see you too," Emily responded.

"Is it OK if I call you Em?" Paige asked.

"That's fine," Emily assured her.

"Listen, we're just hanging out backstage until it's time to go on," Paige explained. "You should come."

Emily had wanted to talk to Paige in private, but Paige seemed so keen for her to join them that Emily happily went with her. It also made her feel a little special, like she was being invited into the inner sanctum.

A short, dimly lit corridor with holes in the walls led to the band room, which still had holes in the walls but was slightly better lit. Inside were about a dozen people, some of whom Emily recognised, some she didn't.

"Hey everyone, this is Emily," Paige announced.

There was a general chorus of "Hi Emily" in response.

"OK, Em, this is Kat, our lead singer and guitarist, Rosa, our other guitarist, Caleb, our drummer, and these other hangers-on are Caitlin, Stew, Jon, Carrow, Suzi, Brian..."

Soon the names were going in one ear and out the other. Anyway, Emily was getting distracted by the graffiti on the walls. Most of it seemed to be band names, and she didn't know any of them. As excited as she was, she felt so out of place, and she was sure that she would be found out soon.

Emily found a seat between Paige and Caitlin, who turned out to be another old school friend of Paige's, and now her housemate. While they were still in their small talk, Paige got suddenly excited.

"Hey! Hey! Get Em one of the invites," she said to Caitlin.

"Okee-dokee," Caitlin responded, fishing through her bag before producing a piece of paper and handing it to Emily.

Across the top it read "It's a Punky Reggae Party!", an event which seemed to be happening on Friday night at an address in Fitzroy.

"You should come," Paige insisted. She seemed to be quite excited.

"It's at our place," Caitlin explained. "It's an old warehouse, which is pretty cool for parties."

"You live in a warehouse?" Emily responded. She's heard of that before, but only as apartment developments, and there was no way the two of them could afford that. "Has it been converted?"

Caitlin and Paige both laughed.

"Only by us," Caitlin answered.

"I mean, it had a kitchen and a bathroom," Paige added. "The rest we've done."

It still sounded pretty cool to Emily.

"Hey, we should swap numbers," Emily suggested to Paige.

Paige hesitated.

Shit. Emily got a sudden sinking feeling.

"I mean, if you want..." Emily added, feeling pathetic.

"I, ah, don't have a phone," Paige replied. "It's a long story."

Emily was puzzled. Why would she not have a phone. How did she get by?

"What should I do if I need to contact you?" Emily asked.

"You can call Caitlin," Paige explained.

As Emily pondered all the ways that would be awkward, Caitlin cheerfully got her phone out and pretty soon they had swapped numbers.

"OK, time to go on," Caleb announced from across the room. "We don't want to keep our fans waiting."

As they headed out to the stage, Paige quickly turned and kissed Emily. It was just a quick peck on the lips, but it was enough to give Emily hope again.

In the main room, Emily took up a position near the front, on Paige's side of the stage as always, as the band did a final tune up.

Emily could hear a guy in the audience, calling out something or other repeatedly. She looked over. He was standing in the middle of the room, swaying and obviously drunk, with a few friends around him.

What was he saying though?

Then she realised.

"Tits out! Tits out!"

Over and over again.

There was some commotion on stage. Paige took off her bass guitar and stormed into the crowd, which parted in front of her.

She confronted the man, who initially seemed unaware of her presence. When he noticed her, however, his face lit up and he tried to grab her breasts. Paige swepted his hands away, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and headbutted him.

The audience cheered, but Emily was in shock now.

She couldn't see them anymore as a circle of onlookers had formed around them. She could still hear them, though.

"You fucking cunt!" came the man's voice, followed by the sound of blows, at least half a dozen of them. Emily had no idea who was hitting who, but the crowd was cheering again.

Caleb charged into the audience now, and after a moment he and Paige emerged and stepped back up onto the stage. Paige had no sign of injury. Kat was obviously unhappy and was having words with Paige, but Paige just shrugged her shoulders and picked up her bass.

They started playing.

The crowd was revved up, but Emily just wanted to get out of there. She looked around her. She could see security removing the heckler, who seemed dazed and had blood all over his face.

Emily decided it would be riskier to leave now that to stay, so she just remained where she was and tried to enjoy the music.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I maybe should give a warning that this chapter includes Paige's backstory, and it's a bit sadder than on the show. Sorry.

* * *

><p><em>"Are there any hot guys in this band of hers?" Hanna asked.<em>

_"There's one guy," Emily replied. "He's OK, I guess, if you're into handsome bad boys."_

_Hanna bounced up and down on her bean bag._

_"You have to take me along next time," she demanded._

_"You did that on purpose," Spencer accused Emily._

_Emily just smiled._

_"So, how are things going with you?" Emily asked Spencer. "Is first year Law all it's cracked up to be."_

_"Well, apparently it would be if I was doing a real Law degree," Spencer replied. "But, being the family disgrace ie the first Hastings in four generations not to make it into Melbourne means I should be able to coast."_

_"Hey, who cares about that?" Hanna cut in._

_"I'm sorry if my future is of little interest to you, Hanna," Spencer responded._

_"Just tell your parents to get that stick out of their arse," Hanna suggested._

_"Sticks," Aria corrected. "It can't be just one stick if there's two of them."_

_"OK, Spencer should tell them to get those sticks out of their arses," Hanna proposed._

_"Much better," Aria approved._

_"Can we please stop talking about this," Spencer requested._

_"Exactly!" Hanna agreed. "So anyway, Em, have you had sex with her yet?"_

_"What?" Emily responded, more out of shock than needing clarification._

_"Hanna!" Aria added._

_"Hey, I tell you all about my sex life," Hanna protested._

_"Yes but we don't ask you to, you just tell us," Spencer pointed out._

_"That's what friends are for," Hanna responded._

* * *

><p>Sometimes, just sometimes, Emily could be a good liar.<p>

"Sorry about that idiot before the show," Paige said. "That sort of thing doesn't happen much, just at some venues."

"That's fine, it didn't worry me," Emily responded.

"So did you have fun?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, totally," Emily replied. "Hey, I have to go soon. I've got classes in the morning and I promised mum I wouldn't be too late."

"Of course," Paige said. "Thanks for coming, it was really great seeing you again. Will you be there on Friday night?"

"Absolutely," Emily confirmed.

"Fantastic," Paige responded.

With that Paige kissed her again. Just a light peck on the lips, like the last time, but reassuring. It felt like the kind of kiss you would give your girlfriend as she left, though Emily knew she wasn't that.

On the drive home Emily felt uneasy. It had gone well, at least on the surface. Paige had been welcoming, and they had swapped numbers as well as they could have in the circumstances. Emily hadn't asked Paige out, like Aria had suggested, but Paige had invited Emily to a party. And now she would be home on time, as she had promised her mother.

Paige seemed genuinely nice. Most of the time.

But Emily couldn't bring herself to be OK with how Paige had attacked the man in the audience. Yes, he had been offensive, but Paige hadn't even waited to see whether security would handle the situation, she had decided to deal with it herself. And from the reaction of her band mates, this probably wasn't the first time.

Maybe it was good that Paige was tough enough to handle a confrontation like that. Maybe the circles she moved in meant she had to be. Maybe, but this just made Emily feel even more out of place, and like her pursuit of Paige might be something she would regret later on.

She couldn't walk away now, though. Not yet. She wanted to give Paige a chance.

* * *

><p>Emily hadn't been this nervous going to a party for a long time. She hated large parties at the best of times. She hated large parties where she hardly knew anyone even more. Large parties where she hardly knew anyone, which were for people from a totally different social circle, and where she was trying to work out her own feelings for a girl she was attracted to but was unsure about, and whose feelings for her were unclear... none of this sounded promising.<p>

She had toyed with dragging Aria along, just to make herself feel more comfortable, but decided that would bring it's own awkwardness. She had to face this alone.

So now she had found the venue, and it was big. A three story Edwardian warehouse with a bike shop on the ground level. She could tell it was the one from the lights and thumping music. The problem was finding how to get in. She had parked in a side street, and after a fair bit of surveying, she eventually noticed a stairway in the alley behind the building.

She went up the stairs, the music getting louder as she did. At the top was a large iron door, painted green and with a copy of the invite taped to it. Not the most helpful, as you could only see it from the top of the stairs, but at least she knew she was in the right place.

She opened the door.

It was loud. It was crowded. It was overwhelming.

She couldn't see much, but it felt like a nightclub. The floor she was on was mostly open, at least as far as she could see. There were coloured lights sweeping the room, and a smoke machine occasionally puffing out bursts of thick, white gas.

And there were people. Everywhere. She seemed to have stepped into the main dance floor, and it wasn't immediately obvious how to get around the mass of moving bodies. There must have been at least two hundred, but there was likely more.

As promised by the invitation, loud reggae music was playing, though Emily couldn't recognise the song. It sounded modern, both from the production values and the electronic sounds used in the music. Even as Emily stepped in she couldn't help but move in time to the slow, bass heavy rhythm.

Emily wondered what she was doing here. For a moment she told herself it wasn't too late. No one had seen her, she could sneak out without anyone noticing, and go back to a normal life. It was tempting.

She kept going, though, pushing around the outside of the crowd until she emerged into a lightly more open area, which seemed to be more for hanging out than dancing.

A hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and saw Paige.

"Em!" Paige exclaimed. "Thanks for coming."

"This is amazing," Emily commented. "This is where you live?"

"It is," Paige confirmed. "Come on, I'll give you the tour."

"Sounds good," Emily agreed.

"Well, first, this is our lounge room," Paige began, gesturing to the vast expanse around them. "One of the guys who lives here, Toni, he's a DJ, so he's decked it out with his gear. Behind us..." Paige turned and waved her arm. "...is the kitchen."

Emily couldn't see much, but there were a few benches. If that was the kitchen it must be pretty industrial.

Paige started walking and Emily followed.

"Over there is the bathroom and the toilet," Paige continued. "Though with everyone here tonight most people will just go out the back in the alley."

Emily made a mental note not to drink much.

They headed towards a spiral staircase, all iron and again painted green.

"Upstairs is where we actually live," Paige explained.

They went up, but at the top was a door, clearly a new addition. Paige got her key out and opened it.

"Security downstairs it not too good, so we like to keep this locked up," she said.

Past the door was a balcony overlooking the floor below. It had an iron railing, matching the staircase, and a steel mesh floor. Along one wall was a series of doors, which presumably would have once been offices.

Emily looked over the railing at the crowd below. Her first impression of the place as resembling a nightclub hadn't changed. She couldn't imagine living here. Still, it had a certain excitement.

Paige went into one of the rooms and Emily followed. Whatever it was in a previous life, not it had now been pressed into service as a bedroom. It was beautiful, if a little cold, both literally and figuratively. Parts of the walls, as well as the ceiling, were pressed tin.

The entire room was painted white, though the paint in places was peeling off. The floor was grey carpet tiles. The door was frosted glass, but a broken handle meant that it didn't quite shut properly. A small window, with bars on the outside, looked out to the alleyway below.

There was little by the way of furniture. The bed was a mattress on the floor, and an old filing cabinet seemed to be being used in place of a chest of drawers. Two office chairs sat by an old desk in the corner.

What the room did have, however, was musical instruments and equipments. Guitars of various types, amps, leads, power boards and rolls of gaffer tape. It felt like living in a store room.

"This is it!" Paige announced. "It's pretty good."

Up here it was quieter than downstairs, but the quiet was only relative. The music kept pumping, and they still had to talk loudly to be heard. It was as close as they would get to privacy, however.

"It's nice," Emily agreed.

"Have a seat," Paige suggested.

There were only two, so Emily took one and Paige took the other.

"I'm sorry we haven't really had a chance to talk much," Paige began. "Chels said the two of you had a good chat last week. She said you're at Melbourne Uni doing Science. That's pretty cool."

"Yeah," Emily confirmed. "I love it. Like you said, I'm a bit of a nerd..."

"Oh God, did I say that?" Paige responded, somewhat horrified. "I meant it in a good way."

"That's fine," Emily assured her. "It's not an insult. I am."

"Tell me more about yourself," Paige suggested.

"Um, OK," Emily began. "I went to Rosewood High, out near Vermont South. I'm an only child. Apart from studying, I swim..."

"What sort of swimming do you do?" Paige asked, her face lighting up a little.

"Freestyle," Emily replied. "I'm mostly a distance swimmer these days. The 800 is my main event."

"I used to swim when I was at school," Paige said.

"You stopped after that?" Emily asked.

"Um, yeah," Paige confirmed. "I actually left school at 16, so that was that. I couldn't really swim much after that, though I go down to the local pool sometimes these days. I guess I miss it."

"Is it OK if I ask why you left school so young?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I..." Paige was starting to look uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, it's not..." Emily began.

"I got kicked out of home," Paige replied. "I tried to keep my school up, but it didn't really work."

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"I came out to my parents," Paige replied. "They got angry, accused me of a whole bunch of things, then... I was on my own."

"That's awful," Emily said.

"Yeah," Paige agreed.

Emily didn't know what to say. She could see the sadness in Paige's eyes.

"How could they do that to you?" Emily asked.

Paige shrugged her shoulders.

"They thought I was defying them, and they said they were worried about my sisters, like I might corrupt them or something," she responded. "I don't know, it was all bullshit. They thought God was testing them and they had to choose Him over me."

"I'm sorry," Emily said. It was all she could say.

"Thanks," Paige replied.

"How did you get by?" Emily asked. "Where did you go?"

"I was OK for a while," Paige continued. "Chelsea's parents let me stay with them, but then I got into an argument with her dad, which was pretty stupid of me, and I had to find somewhere else."

"Your other friends couldn't put you up?" Emily asked.

"This might sound weird, but I couldn't bring myself to ask," Paige replied. "I found a squat and lived there for a while, but that was hard. Then there was a flat with about ten other people. Like, people just came and went, and... one of the women there collected money for a drug dealer, so it was pretty dangerous."

"What did you do?" Emily asked.

"I was lucky, I met this woman, she worked behind the bar at this pub I used to go to," Paige replied. "When she found out where I was living she let me move in with her. She was really nice, but we broke up about two weeks after I moved in. She wouldn't kick me out though, she even gave me some money and stuff. Found me some help when I needed it."

"That's great," Emily said, though her words felt inadequate.

"It was tense though, and I just felt like I was in her way all the time," Paige responded.

"But you couldn't help that," Emily pointed out.

"She really put herself out for me," Paige said. "I wish I could make it up to her."

"It's OK to let people help you, you know?" Emily protested.

"Most people don't," Paige responded.

"That doesn't mean you should feel bad about it when they do," Emily replied.

Paige looked unconvinced.

"How did you find this place?" Emily asked.

"I managed to get in touch with Caitlin again," Paige continued. "By then she was living here. She pretty much made me move in. Eventually I got some casual work at a record store, so I could pay rent and everything. So yeah, here I am."

Emily leaned over had hugged Paige.

"Now you know my sob story," Paige mumbled.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Emily said.

"I made it, though," Paige said. "I made it."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** We're still at the Punky Reggae Party. This chapter is a bit OC heavy, hope that's OK.

* * *

><p><em>"Hanna, you haven't even asked what she's like," Emily pointed out. "I think getting to know someone is a pretty important first step in a relationship."<em>

_"You can learn a lot about someone through sex," Hanna responded._

_"You are obsessed," Emily grumbled._

_"Now, Emily, I'm going to take you back a step here," Spencer announced. "You just said the 'r' word."_

_"Fuck, I did, didn't I?" Emily responded. She'd been caught. "It's... sort of. Kind of. I don't know."_

_"So when do we get to meet her?" Aria asked. _

_"OK, yeah, you should," Emily agreed. "Maybe next weekend or something."_

_"Good, because I have been holding on to this for way too long," Aria declared. _

_"It will be nice," Emily said. "She's really lovely."_

* * *

><p>Emily's main problem was that she couldn't really dance, at least not to this music. Pop songs, maybe, and even then she only really liked dancing at home by herself, or with close friends. Not like here, though, not with all these people around. Hanna could get her up and dancing easily when it was just the two of them. Paige was having a harder time.<p>

"Come on, Em, it will be fun," Paige pleaded.

Paige was on a bit of a high now. After telling Emily her story, Paige seemed to be overcome with relief, and had virtually dragged Emily back downstairs to join in the fun. Now they were on the edge of the dance floor, such as it was, Paige holding Emily's hand and looking at her with puppy dog eyes.

Emily hesitated. This was something of a no win situation for her. If she said no, she would be no fun. If she said yes, she would be exposed as hopelessly uncool.

She knew she had to go with uncool.

"OK," she said, nodding.

Paige gave her a grin and soon they were part of the crowd.

It wasn't so bad either. Sure, she was surrounded by people, but no one was really paying attention to her. No one except Paige. Paige's smile was infectious, and looking at her now, Emily didn't just see the tough punk rocker anymore, but also the girl who just wanted to relax and enjoy herself.

So Emily danced, modestly at first, just shuffling around in time to the music, staring into her partner's eyes. Paige was more at home, though. She put her whole body into it, and she was so different to how Emily had see her on stage. When she was paying, Paige was aggressive, focused, almost mechanical in her movement. Here she was free, joyous and sensual. The way she moved her arms, her shoulders, her hips. It was hypnotic.

Soon Emily started to loosen up. She let the rhythm flow through her, and as she did she moved closer to Paige, their bodies in contact now. She had her arms over Paige's shoulders, staring into the other girls eyes.

For the first time, Emily felt like she knew Paige. There had been a distance between them up until now, but it was gone. Emily was happy she had made the effort to get to know this beautiful young woman. She didn't feel nervous any more, she felt excited. She felt good.

* * *

><p>Paige seemed distracted for a moment. They had been dancing for a while, but now Emily could see that Paige was looking at someone standing on the side of the dance floor, signalling to her.<p>

Paige turned back to Emily.

"Hey, Em, do you, ah, smoke pot?" Paige asked.

"Not really, no," Emily replied, before even thinking about it.

"Do you mind if I do?" Paige asked.

"No, go ahead," Emily replied.

Part of Emily wanted to join in, to see what it was like. Another part of her remembered all the things she'd read about how dangerous it was. Emily was often like this, too scared to be much of a rebel.

They walked through the sea of dancing bodies back out to the kitchen area. Paige nodded to her friend who had been waving to her before.

"I'll be there in a minute," Paige said.

Paige and Emily both scanned the people around them.

"There's Caitlin," Paige pointed out, leading Emily over to the kitchen area.

"Hey, Cait, I'm just going for a puff," Paige explained. "Could you look after Em?"

"Sure," Caitlin replied.

As Paige left, Caitlin drew Emily into the circle of people she was with.

"I think you've actually met everyone here from the other night," Caitlin said.

Emily looked around. She had indeed. There was... the drummer from the band... and the guitarist, and, um... a couple of other people.

"But just in case you've forgotten," Caitlin added. "This is Caleb, Rosa, Stew and Carrow."

"Hi," Emily said, unable to think of anything else. They all greeted her in return.

Caleb looked scruffy, wearing a tatty old t-shirt and worn jeans, with a knitted beanie on over his shoulder length hair. And, somewhat predictably, he had a goatie.

Rosa was was short and solidly built, with thick curly brown hair and warm, dark brown skin. She spoke with a think English accent, possibly from London, though Emily wasn't really sure. Her clothes were more traditionally punk, and somehow more formal. She had a leather jacket over a carefully torn top, red tartan trousers and shiny combat boots.

Stew was tall and wiry, with spiky hair and a patchy beard. He looked older than the others, but that might have just been his rough skin and the fact that he was wearing a shirt and trousers which looked like they'd been through an op-shop more than once.

Carrow was maybe in her late twenties, had a crew cut, extremely pale skin, and was wearing simple jeans and a white tank top.

They seemed a friendly bunch, but they were deep in an argument, which they soon returned to.

"Maybe the 'rags could put some reggae in the mix," Stew suggested.

Rosa shook her head vigourously.

"Do you not remember new wave?" she protested. "The whole post-punk era was festering with bands using reggae beats with..."

"It was a little before my time," Stew pointed out. "But people did well out of it, anyway. I mean, The Police?"

"Oh God, no," Rosa responded, glaring at her friend. "Don't you fucking go 'The Police' with me."

"Come on, Stew, if you're going try something different, why repeat what everyone did last time?" Carrow asked.

"Exactly," Rosa agreed. "We'll end up sounding like all those pastey white-boy bands in the early 80's playing lame alternative music with a bass line they ripped off a Bob Marely song."

"OK, but is it any better if punk just stays how it is?" Stew asked. "People have been playing pretty much the same thing for over 30 years now. Surely to develop it needs to bring in elements from other styles of music, so we can keep the punk ethos but make it more relevant?"

"When you mix punk with something else it's not punk anymore," Rosa responded.

"You're such a fundie," Caleb chipped in.

"It's true!" Rosa insisted.

"Spoken like a true fundie," Caleb responded. "Punk must remain pure!"

"Not pure," Rosa objected. "There's nothing pure about punk. It just has to remain punk, that's all."

"What, so we're not allowed to change anything?" Caleb asked.

"Of course you can," Carrow responded this time. "But punk has to evolve on its own terms, not by mixing it with other genres of music. The whole point of punk is its simplicity."

"This is the problem with punk, though," Stew continued. "Any innovation is abandoned every few years when some new back-to-basics movement comes along and everyone is digging out their old 60s garage albums."

"But people still do listen to them," Rosa replied. "Who listens to all those wanky art-rock bands that came after punk? Punk speaks to the listener, straight to their heart. Try to mix and match and you end up with music no one can relate to."

At this point, as Emily's eyes were beginning to glaze over, Caitlin turned to her.

"Did Paige tell you I had an art studio here?" Caitlin asked.

"No," Emily replied.

"Would you like to have a look?" Caitlin asked.

"I'd love to," Emily replied, smiling in thanks.

As the others continued to argue, Emily left with Caitlin.

They went upstairs again, but this time crossed a walkway to the other side of the building, and entered a large room, filled with paintings at various stages of completion.

"So yeah, this is where my creations take shape," Caitlin announced.

Emily wandered around the room, looking at the works of art. There was a series of rubber ducks, some in simple domestic settings, others with sinister glowing red eyes, or razor sharp jaws. She spotted an actual rubber duck on a bench.

"That's Grizelda," Caitlin explained. "She's my model."

Emily looked at the pictures again. They were indeed all based on the same subject.

"You could make a range of them," Emily suggested. "It could be a good marketing opportunity."

Caitlin laughed.

"Arty versions of children's toys for adults is actually a thing," she responded. "These paintings are trying to mix the comforting with the macabre, without crossing the line into just plain kitsch. I think merchandising might tip them over the edge."

Emily noticed another set of paintings, all of just a male torso from the neck down to the knees. Some were simple poses, others were abstracted and stylised. She found them creepy.

"I was exploring whether I could both humanise and objectify the male body," Caitlin explained. "It turned out that I couldn't."

"Um..." Emily tried to think of something nice to say, but she couldn't really. "Yeah."

"Are you into art at all?" Caitlin asked. "It's OK if you're not."

"Does astrophotography count?" Emily asked. "I know that's a bit geeky, but I just think it's beautiful."

"Of course that counts," Caitlin assured her. "It's about what speaks to you."

"Have you heard of David Malin?" Emily asked.

"No," Caitlin replied.

Emily got her phone out of pocket.

"I've got an app..." she explained as she searched through the images of stars and galaxies and nebulae, before finding one of her favourites. "Here's one..."

She showed Caitlin.

"It looks better when it's bigger, of course," Emily added.

"That's beautiful," Caitlin said in a hushed voice as she gazed at the picture. "Really beautiful."

"I love the light, and the shapes, and... I don't know, the sense of mystery about it," Emily explained.

Caitlin swept through some more images before handing the phone back to Emily.

"Beauty and mystery," Caitlin said. "I understand completely."

"Thanks for rescuing me before," Emily said.

"That's fine," Caitlin replied. "Those arguments can go on for hours."

"They're very passionate about their music," Emily observed. "That's a good thing, I guess."

"So long as the rest of us don't have to put up with their interminable squabbles," Caitlin added.

Emily just smiled.

"Can you keep a secret?" Caitlin asked.

"Absolutely," Emily confirmed.

"I don't actually like their music much," Caitlin confessed. "Or any of it, really. I just go along to support Paige."

Emily pondered for a minute what she should say, then decided to trust Caitlin, even though she barely knew her.

"Can _you_ keep a secret?" she asked.

Caitlin nodded, though the smile on her face told Emily that she knew what was coming.

"Me too," Emily said. "My friend Aria dragged me along to one of their gigs, and it was really just..."

Emily stopped. This was embarrassing.

"Paige?" Caitlin suggested.

Emily nodded. This was very embarrassing, but somehow it felt good telling someone.

"Your secret's safe with me," Caitlin assured her.

"I just..." Emily began. "I'm fascinated by her, but we've hardly got anything in common. I'm just a suburban girl who listens to pop songs and choral music, and she's this wild punk rocker."

"It wasn't that long ago she was a suburban girl, you know," Caitlin pointed out. "There's nothing 'just' about that."

"I guess not," Emily agreed.

"Anyway, Paige may look wild, but she's a sweet, kind, caring person when you get to know her," Caitlin explained. "So maybe the two of you have that in common."

Emily was a little bit taken aback, but it was a lovely thing to say.

"Thank you," was all Emily could respond with.

"One thing I should warn you about, though," Caitlin added, her voice a little more sombre now. "Paige has had a bit of a rough time. I'll let her tell you about that..."

"She did tell me a little bit earlier tonight," Emily replied.

"Yeah, so the thing is, she can be a bit complicated," Caitlin explained. "If you ever need advice or just to talk, you've got my number. That's not just for contacting Paige."

"Thanks," Emily responded. "I understand."

* * *

><p>Emily and Caitlin were downstairs again. They had something of a plan, in that Caitlin wanted to find Chelsea, as well as another friend of hers, Brian. Before they did, however, Paige found them.<p>

"Hey!" Paige called enthusiastically when she saw Emily, throwing her arms wide as she did, then giving Emily a hug. Emily could smell something on her, which she presumed was the pot, but she wasn't really sure.

Mostly, though, Paige was noticeably more cheerful than before. She had lost the air of a nervous host, and had a beaming smile on her face.

"Have you been having fun?" Paige asked Emily.

"Yeah," Emily replied. "Caitlin showed me some of her art upstairs."

"That is so cool," Paige responded. "Did she show you the ducks? They are _soooooo_ freaky. Caitlin's amazingly talented though, really. I mean she's great, isn't she?"

Before Emily could respond to any of this, Paige started talking again, this time to Caitlin.

"And thank you so much, girl, for looking after Em here," Paige continued. "She's probably freaking out a little, so it's nice to have a friend here who's not one of the weirdos. And, like, I'm not having a go at anyone, we're just a bit of a strange crowd, but everyone's really nice, really, I mean, yeah."

Paige paused for a moment, but Emily was a little stunned.

She decided that she had to ask.

"I thought dope was supposed to make you mellow," she said.

Paige started laughing.

"It has different effects on different people," Caitlin explained. "And... it depends on who you get the dope from."

Paige kept laughing.

"She'll calm down soon," Caitlin added.

Paige was laughing harder now, one arm still around Emily, hanging on to her for balance.

"You've never smoked it?" Caitlin asked.

"No, never," Emily replied. "I've not even really been around anyone who's stoned before."

"Oh, this is barely stoned," Caitlin responded. "You'll know if she's stoned. Are you OK, though?"

"I'm fine," Emily assured her. "It really doesn't worry me. It's just a bit of a new experience."

Paige had regained her composure now.

"I think I see Chelsea and Brian," Caitlin announced.

"Awesome!" Paige responded.

"Why don't you two wait here, and I'll bring them over," Caitlin suggested.

As Caitlin waded into the crowd, Paige smiled at Emily. Somehow her smile was different now, more adorably goofy. Paige leaned in and kissed Emily. Emily recoiled a little, expecting the taste of marijuana smoke on her breath, but it was fine, so she relaxed and kept kissing.

It had been an odd night, more emotional than expected, and now having to deal with a girl who was, whatever Caitlin said, quite stoned. But despite all of this, Emily felt good. She felt like she had really bonded with Paige for the first time.

She realised that while she had been busy analysing the night's events, the kiss was progressing and she had barely noticed. Their tongues were exploring each other's mouths, their bodies clasped firmly together and... shit, Emily had her hand on Paige's breast. Oh well, fuck it. It felt good, and no one was complaining.

"Get a room!" someone yelled, and pushed Paige away.

Emily was scared for a moment. What was happening?

It was Brian, grinning and clearly pleased with himself. Standing behind him were Caitlin, looking bemused, and Chelsea, looking mortified.

Paige just laughed, then turned back to Emily.

"Wanna go upstairs?" she asked.

"OK," Emily replied.

"See ya, guys!" Paige called as they left.

"Bye!" Emily added, waving to the others.

Paige took Emily's hand and dragged her through the crowd to the stairs. She was in a hurry.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** This chapter has the longest sex scene I've ever written. It _is_ actually important for the story (really, I'm not just saying that) but as usual I'm a bit nervous about it. I hope it's OK. Oh, and sorry it's taken so long.

* * *

><p><em>"Forget about them," Hanna demanded. "You haven't answered my question yet. Have you had sex with her?"<em>

_"Hanna, leave it out," Spencer cut in. "Emily doesn't have to tell you..."_

_"Yes," Emily interrupted._

_"As in, yes you have," Hanna responded, getting excited now._

_"Yes, I have had sex with her," Emily confirmed. "More than once."_

_"Awesome!" Hanna exclaimed. "Was it good?"_

_"Em, you do know that answering one question is only gonna bring more, don't you?" Aria pointed out._

_"I know," Emily confirmed. "And it was fucking fantastic."_

_"Or fantastic fucking," Hanna suggested, bursting out laughing._

_"It's a good thing you like your own jokes, Hanna," Spencer noted._

_This only made Hanna laugh more._

_"OK, now giggling Gertie is out of the way, can we change the subject?" Spencer suggested. _

_"You brought the whole thing up," Emily pointed out. "And Aria blabbed in the first place. You've only got yourselves to blame."_

_"Yet, but it was Hanna who went straight to sex," Spencer protested. "I just want to know more about this girl."_

_"Yeah," Hanna agreed, regaining her composure. "Does she fuck like a tiger?"_

_"Like a what?" Aria responded._

_"Like a tiger," Hanna repeated. "You know, strong and powerful and like..."_

_Hanna laid back a little and started pumping her fists, thrusting her pelvis and grunting._

_"Oh my God!" Spencer exclaimed, covering her face._

_"Um, Hanna," Aria began. "I'm not the expert, but it may not be quite like that for Em."_

_They all looked at Emily. She could feel herself blushing._

* * *

><p>Emily's heart was racing as they virtually ran up the stairs. Her hands shook as she waited for Paige to unlock the door again.<p>

She looked back. The others were laughing at them, but she didn't care. Once Paige had the door open the two of them charged along the balcony into Paige's room.

Once inside she rushed at Paige and they began kissing, intensely, passionately. They knocked into one of the chairs but kept going, until Emily had Paige up against the wall.

Emily's body was pressed against the other girl's, and she could feel Paige's hands all over her.

Without even thinking Emily pulled off her t-shirt.

Paige hesitated.

"Oh my God, is that OK?" Emily asked, breathlessly. For an instant she panicked.

"Yep," Paige replied abruptly, and pulled Emily back in. It was OK.

They kissed again, and Emily could feel a charge as their mouths came together, as their tongues met.

Paige pushed back a little, and Emily was now leaning on the desk, one leg hooked around Paige, who was roughly squeezing her ass. Paige's tongue was exploring her mouth, and Emily started to suck on Paige's lower lip, biting just a little before letting go.

"I am so... fucking... horny right now," Emily whispered in Paige's ear.

Paige looked a little shocked again, but this time she was smiling.

"Em, like... wow," Paige responded.

"Do you want to?" Emily asked urgently. "Fuck, I mean."

Paige nodded eagerly.

"Shit, yeah!" she replied.

Emily grabbed two handfuls of Paige's smooth, brown hair and pulled the other girl's face towards her own until they were virtually breathing each other's breath.

"You are so beautiful," Emily whispered.

They kissed again, Paige unhooking Emily's bra as they did, then throwing it away. Paige broke the kiss and, with Emily still propped up on the desk, lifted one of Emily's legs and pulled her boot off, then did the same for the other.

Paige grabbed Emily and hurriedly undid her jeans the pulled them down. Emily stepped out of them and, with a flourish, kicked them across the room. She was naked now. She felt exposed, Paige still being fully clothed, but she felt good, she felt free.

Paige stood back for a moment, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

"Wow," she eventually said, shaking her head slightly.

Emily liked this. She posed a little for Paige's benefit.

"You like?" she asked.

"Holy mother of God, Em, you're gorgeous," Paige replied.

"Well, come on then," Emily teased.

Paige stepped forward, but before she could grab Emily, Emily grabbed her first and kissed her, hard. She felt ecstatic. It had been so long since she had felt this way. She wanted Paige now.

She tried to move the two of them towards the bed but pushed too hard in the excitement and threw Paige down on the mattress. For a moment she was mortified, but Paige just looked up at her in awe, so Emily went with it. Pretending it was deliberate, she jumped on Paige and kissed her again.

Paige pushed back and rolled over on top of Emily. Paige's weight above her felt good, and Emily wrapped her legs around her partner, grinding against her as they kissed. She could feel Paige reaching down. She shivered as Paige's fingers touched her, gently opening her up and exploring.

"You _are_ ready, aren't you," Paige whispered.

"Oh yeah," Emily replied breathlessly.

Emily tried to pull Paige in for a kiss again, but Paige resisted. Instead, she positioned herself beside Emily, cradling her with one arm, her eyes locked on Emily's, all the while still pleasuring Emily with her fingers.

It felt so good. It felt wonderful. Emily closed her eyes and let her head fall back. She was breathing heavily now. The music was still pounding, making her body shake, but it was nothing compared to the sensation flowing through her from her lover's touch.

"Is that good?" Paige asked.

"Fuck, yes!" Emily exclaimed.

Paige hugged her closer. Emily could feel the other girl's muscles flexing as she held Emily to her.

"Do you want me to put my fingers inside you?" Paige asked.

"Yes," Emily abruptly responded.

"Say please," Paige instructed.

Emily chuckled a little, between panting.

"Yes, please," Emily said.

As soon as she did she felt Paige enter her, pushing back and forth with a steady rhythm. Emily gasped, tensing up a little, putting her arm around Paige and grabbing her shoulder.

Paige kept going, harder now, and faster.

Emily could feel the tension building up.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she muttered.

Oh fuck.

She could feel it...

She resisted for a moment, then let go...

"Fuck, fuck, fuuuuuuuck!" she shouted as her body was overcome with pleasure.

She was trembling uncontrollably for what seemed like forever. As the waves of ecstasy flowed through her body, she lost all awareness of where she was. There was no party, there was no room, there was no bed, there was only the pure sensation. Only that and Paige next to her, surrounding her, almost a part of her.

As the feeling subsided, she felt like she was falling into Paige's arms. She liked that feeling. It felt natural, right somehow.

Emily lay for a moment in post-orgasmic bliss, eyes closed and smiling contentedly. Still in something of a daze, she patted Paige on the shoulder.

"Thank you," she mumbled. "That was fun."

"It was a pleasure," Paige responded.

After a while, however, Emily opened her eyes and noticed something was amiss.

"What are you doing with all these clothes on?" she asked Paige, lazily pulling at her top.

"I was busy," Paige pointed out.

"True," Emily conceded. "But I think we need to do something about this now."

"Do you want to help?" Paige asked.

"No, I just want to lie here," Emily responded, giving Paige a cheeky grin. "I'm too worn out to do anything."

"I've been working pretty hard, too," Paige protested.

Emily waved her hand dismissively.

"Well, since I have to do everything," Paige said in mock exasperation and go up onto her knees.

She pulled off her tank top and through it away. Emily took a moment to admire her abs, then reached out and gently stroked them.

Next Paige took off her bra. Emily's hands wandered upwards, firmly squeezing Paige's breasts. As she did, Emily raised her eyebrows and grinned, leaving Paige chuckling.

"You're a dag, Emily," Paige observed.

Emily just nodded.

Paige stood now. She kicked off her connies, pulled down her jeans and panties, then stepped out of them. Emily just looked on in wonderment at Paige's beauty. In the back of her mind she wanted to get Paige swimming again, because she still had the muscles for it, but right now she had other priorities.

Paige casually dropped down onto the bed again, kneeling next to Emily.

Emily lay there.

"Well?" Paige asked.

"Come closer," Emily instructed, barely able to keep a straight face.

Paige put one leg over Emily so she was sitting on Emily's stomach. She leaned down and kissed Emily.

"I want to taste you," Emily whispered.

"Well, um..." Paige began, considering the logistics for a moment.

"I'm comfy here," Emily added.

Paige raised one eyebrow, but Emily just smiled.

"OK then," Paige said and shuffled up the bed a little until she was nearly straddling Emily's face.

Paige was just inches away from Emily. Emily started giggling, but it was damn hot having Paige towering over her like this. Paige's leaned forward on the wall behind Emily's head, then lowered herself down.

Emily had missed the taste of pussy, and Paige tasted so good. Emily explored Paige with her tongue and her fingers, licking between Paige's labia, gently massaging her clit.

"Oh yes," Paige sighed.

Paige started swaying her hips back and forth, almost grinding on Emily's face. Emily was having trouble keeping from laughing by now, but she was able to put her arms around Paige's thighs to keep the movements more manageable.

"Oh, God, Em, yes," Paige moaned.

Emily kept going, her tongue darting up and down. Occasionally, she would take one of the folds of Paige's beautiful cunt into her mouth and suck a little, then release it. She loved doing this, and Paige was definitely enjoying herself too.

"Oh fuck!" Paige exclaimed, panting now with pleasure.

With some effort, Emily was able to position herself so that she could slip a finger inside Paige. She began massaging Paige, moving her finger back and forth inside the other girl with her best 'come hither' motion. Emily's tongue was getting tired now, but she was determined not to let up.

"Oh, fuck, Emily, yes!" Paige shouted.

Emily liked what she was hearing. She could feel Paige tensing up now, with those beautiful muscles of hers. She could see the look of ecstasy on her face.

"Oh God, Em, holy fuck, ahh, yes, yes, _fucking yes_!" Paige screamed as she came.

Emily kept pushing. She wanted to make this last as long as she could.

"Oh fuck yes, Em, yes," Paige continued to yell.

Paige was bucking now, almost out of control, but Emily was able to hold her ground. Paige wasn't stopping, so neither was she.

"Oh... Fuck..." Paige cried.

Her body jerked violently, and again. Paige's thighs were squeezing Emily's head now, but there wasn't much Emily could do about it. Paige threw her hands against the wall to steady herself and finally, _finally_ the climax subsided.

Emily stopped and withdrew her finger from her lover. Paige then virtually collapsed on top of her.

"Thank you," Paige whispered, breathlessly. "That was unbelievable."

"It was a pleasure," Emily responded.

* * *

><p>"Shit, what time is it?" Emily asked.<p>

"I've got no idea," Paige replied.

They had been lying on the bed together, recuperating, for... Emily actually had no idea how long it had been for. And she knew that she needed to know. She scoured the room until she found her jeans, then dug her phone out of the pocket. It was 1:28.

"Ah, fuck, I need to text my mum," Emily explained.

"Do you always text your mother after you get laid?" Paige asked.

Emily couldn't help but chuckle a little, even as she frantically composed a message.

_"I'm still at the party. Don't wait up for me. Everything is fine. Em"_

Paige was standing behind Emily now, and put her arms around her, then started gently kissing her neck. It felt good, and Emily instinctively leaned her head a little to give Paige better access, even though she knew what was coming.

Her phone rang. It was her mum.

She hesitated for a moment then answered. As she did, though, she realised that there was no way she would be able to hear anything her mother was saying over the music, which was still filling the building.

"Mum, I can't hear you so I'm just going to talk. I'm fine, it's all good, but I won't be leaving for a while yet. Go to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

She paused, as it seemed rude to just hang when she knew her mother would be talking, but she really couldn't hear a thing.

Paige kept on kissing her. Emily giggled, then hung up.

"Oh my God, if my mum heard that..." she began.

She put the phone down and turned to face her partner, who was looking a little sheepish, but with an unrepentant smirk on her face.

Page lightly ran her fingers down the side of Emily's face, then her neck, past her shoulder, then cupped Emily's breast, caressing it and massaging it.

Their eyes met, but Paige made no attempt to kiss her, they just stared. Paige was enjoying herself, like she was playing with a new toy.

"Can I just say..." Paige began. "I really like your boobs."

"They like you, too," Emily responded.

Paige stepped forward and put her arms around Emily, lifting her up and carried her a few meters to the desk, where she placed Emily down. Emily was slightly above Paige now, and Paige took advantage of this to resume playing with Emily's breasts, this time kissing them affectionately.

Emily could feel Paige's tongue circling her nipple, then Paige took it into her mouth and gently sucked. It was electric, almost too intense. Almost. Emily could feel the excitement building in her body. She stared at Paige.

Paige stopped what she was doing for a moment.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," Emily said. "I want you to fuck me again."

"No problem, Em," Paige assured her. "I'm prepared to make that sacrifice. Anything in particular that you'd like?"

Emily lightly stroked Paige's face. This girl was so beautiful. That smile, those eyes. Emily's heart melted just looking at her. And now, right now, looking up at Emily, so eager to please... Emily hadn't felt like this for a long time.

"Um, you could, I don't know, maybe... eat me out," Emily suggested.

"Sounds good," Paige agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

Paige kissed Emily slowly, then gave her one last grin before lowering herself on to her knees. Emily opened her legs a little wider, and Paige eased herself forward gently kissed Emily's right thigh, then her left, then a little higher on the right, then a little higher on the left...

Emily had goosebumps now, but Paige seemed determined to take her time. One more kiss, then another. Paige was getting closer and closer.

"Paige, please," Emily begged.

Emily's heart was racing already. How would she feel once...

Paige parted Emily's labia with her fingers and in an instant Emily could feel Paige's tongue at work. She almost jumped with shock. Gone was the leisurely pace of before. Paige was determined now.

"Yes," Emily said. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered the feedback Paige had given her, and decided to return the favour. "That... feels... so... good."

Paige's eyes were still fixed on Emily's, like she was giving a gift and wanted to see Emily's reaction. She looked so cute looking up at Emily like that, those beautiful eyes peeking over Emily's pubic hair. Cute, and hot.

"You're so beautiful," Emily whispered.

Emily started playing with Paige's hair, but it was too hard to focus. Her pussy was tingling, and the sensation was starting to spread through her whole body. She couldn't take her eyes off Paige, though. The joy Emily was feeling wasn't just the physical pleasure, it was the girl she was with.

"Oh God, Paige, I'm going to come..." Emily cried.

The orgasm hit Emily with a jolt, sending her into rapture. She could hear herself crying out, but she had no idea what she was saying. Even in that moment, though, her mind kept coming back to Paige. Her eyes. Her smile. Her soul.

She looked down again and she could see Paige was pleased with herself. And she had every right to be.

* * *

><p>Paige was laughing, and Emily couldn't help but join in. They were taking a break, and they were both pretty puffed from all their exertion.<p>

"You are full of surprises," Paige observed. "You seem so quiet and shy, but you're a fucking dynamo."

Emily smiled. Somehow Paige made that sound sweet.

"You're not complaining though," Emily noted.

"Not at all," Paige confirmed. "I just didn't expect you to be so..."

Emily could see a look of worry on Paige's face, like she was suddenly realising that there wasn't a good way to end that sentence.

"Enthusiastic?" Emily suggested.

"Yeah," Paige agreed. "I mean, I just wouldn't have guessed."

"Because I'm a nerd?" Emily asked.

"No, no, no," Paige assured her, but Emily hadn't meant it as an accusation.

"It's OK," Emily responded. "I'd understand if you expected me to be a bit more hesitant."

"I don't know," Paige conceded. "Maybe. I guess we're still getting to know each other."

"We are," Emily agreed. "But... I don't know if this sounds weird, but I don't usually charge out the gate like that. It was just... I felt safe with you, like I could just be myself."

Paige gently kissed Emily's forehead.

"That's really sweet, Em," she said. "I'm glad you feel like that. I really like you."

"I like you too," Emily responded.

"Plus, if this is what happens when you can be yourself, I _really_ want you to feel comfortable being yourself," Paige added.

Emily curled up next to Paige, her head on Paige's chest. The music was still going downstairs, but slower, more mellow songs now. Late night songs. Songs to relax to, or to quietly embrace someone special.

Emily studied the tattoos on Paige's arm. Her right arm had a vine running the whole length from wrist to shoulder, and Emily started to slowly trace that vine with her index finger. There were other images, a dragon, the sun, and a number of abstract patterns.

Emily started to notice something else, though. Obscured at first by the tattoos were lines across Paige's forearm. It took Emily some time to work out that they were scars. Some had been incorporated into the pictures which decorated Paige's skin, others were just part of the background.

Emily could feel Paige tense up. She knew what Emily was looking at.

"They're old," Paige explained, sounding nervous now. "I mean, most of them are from before I had to leave home. I don't do that anymore. They were part of the reason I got the tatts. That and looking cool."

Emily delicately lifted up Paige's arm and lightly kissed each scar in turn.

They hugged, their arms tight around each other, Emily feeling like she could stay like this forever.

* * *

><p>Emily had fallen asleep for a little while, but it was morning now, and she had to go home. After a diligent search of the room, she had found all her clothes and was getting dressed now.<p>

"You sure you can't hang around for a while?" Paige asked. "We could make pancakes."

"Sorry, I'm in enough trouble as it is," Emily replied.

"OK," Paige said in resignation.

Soon Emily was ready. She checked her pockets, made sure she had everything. She was good.

She turned to Paige, who was watching her, the warmth of her smile matched only by the tiredness in her eyes, which seemed barely able to stay open.

"When can I see you next?" Paige asked.

Emily found herself reassured that Paige had been the one to ask that question.

"I could come around tomorrow afternoon," Emily suggested. "If that's not too soon."

"Of course not," Paige replied, her face brightening. "I'd love that."

"Cool, I'll come around then," Emily confirmed.

They stared at each other for a moment, Emily not sure what to say. Eventually it was Paige who broke the silence.

"Em, last night was wonderful," she began, her voice somewhat shaky. "I just want you to know I really meant it when I said I liked you."

"Me too," Emily agreed.

"I'm kind of hoping that this can be the start of something," Paige added.

"Me too," Emily repeated.

Paige was beaming now. She looked down at her feet, shaking her head but still smiling.

"Hey," Emily said.

Paige looked up and they hugged.

"I'll see you again soon," Emily assured her.

"Cool," Paige responded.

Emily let go and, with one last look, they said their goodbyes.

She made her way downstairs, which was quiet now, save for the muttered conversations of the few remaining revelers. It looked more like a warehouse now, and less like a nightclub. It looked smaller, too. She headed towards the door.

When Emily stepped outside, the scene was so different to the night before. The morning air was still cool, and the light bathed everything in the blue that comes just before the dawn. The shops were shut, the streets empty except for some occasional traffic and a determined jogger.

Emily walked to her car.

She felt different now, too. The night had been special. It wasn't just the sex, it was Paige. Emily felt like she knew her now, like she had seen something in her, behind the tough punk rocker, behind even the sadness of her story. There was something special about Paige, and Emily wanted the connection they had made to grow.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I'm not sure if this needs a kink warning - there's a game of strip wrestling in this chapter. I don't even know if that's a thing, but it is now.

Oh, and since devilsdictionary pointed out the inadvertent song reference in the title of this fic, I've put a direct one in this chapter. :)

Thank you again to everyone for all your kind words in the reviews.

* * *

><p><em>Emily decided that the only thing to do was to play it straight.<em>

_"The sex is absolutely amazing," she explained, to Hanna's delight and Spencer and Aria's bemusement. "And Hanna's right, you can learn a lot about someone through sex. I've learned that Paige is caring, considerate, passionate, adventurous, has excellent stamina, not to mention upper body strength, coordination, fine motor skills..."_

_"Emily!" Aria exclaimed in a tone of voice usually reserved for Hanna._

_Emily was starting to understand why Hanna got such a kick out of this whole TMI thing. The looks on the others' faces were worth it alone._

_"But there's more to it than that," Emily continued. "We've been talking and just hanging out, and I think... I'm feeling a connection, I really am."_

_"Do you think this is possible?" Spencer asked. "All joking aside, you are very different."_

_"That's the thing though," Emily countered. "We're not as different as I thought. I think this could go somewhere, and I want to give it a chance."_

* * *

><p>Emily was getting the lecture she'd expected when she arrived home, but she really didn't care.<p>

"Is this how it's going to be?" her mother demanded. "You go out on Friday night and come home on Saturday morning?"

"People do that, mum," Emily countered, half-heartedly.

Her mum kept going, but Emily wasn't even listening now. As her one concession to her mother's anger, Emily tried her best to look solemn, maybe even a little contrite. The dreamy smile which kept wanting to appear on her face would have been completely inappropriate.

"Emily, this is serious," Pam was saying now. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah," Emily responded.

Paige wanted to see her again. Emily had taken a chance last night, and put her feelings on the line, but it seemed to have paid off, at least as far as she could tell. She was still nervous, how could she not be, but Paige had opened up to Emily. And _she_ had said the things Emily was trying to build up the courage to say.

"Were there any drugs at this party?" Pam asked.

"Not that I saw," Emily replied.

In theory Emily knew not to get her hopes up. Anything could happen now, and she had been hurt before. She had a good feeling about Paige, though.

Her mother was still talking.

The thing with Paige was that she was nothing like Emily had expected her to be in person. She was friendly, considerate. Given everything she had been through, she should be angry at the world, but there was a real gentleness to her.

"Do you understand?" Pam was asking.

"Yes," Emily replied.

And Paige had such an exciting life. She actually did things, instead of being stuck in some boring suburban routine like Emily was. For Paige, things actually happened.

"OK?" Pam asked.

"OK," Emily confirmed.

"Now go and have a shower," Pam ordered.

"Oh yeah, mum, I almost forgot, I'm going out tomorrow afternoon with some uni friends," Emily added.

"What?" Pam responded incredulously. "Did you even..."

Emily turned and went to her room, all the while thinking of Paige.

* * *

><p>Emily had butterflies when she arrived at Paige's the next day, and it didn't help that as she went up the stairs she could hear a very loud argument, with Paige as one of the participants.<p>

"I don't give a fuck what he says," Paige was shouting. "That shitstain is not our fucking manager anymore."

The other voice was quieter and calmer, and Emily couldn't make out what they were saying.

"I'm more than fucking happy to tell him," came Paige's voice. "I'd fucking love it. Yes motherfucking please."

Shit.

Emily was at the door now, but she hesitated. Should she come back later?

As she pondered this, the door opened. Both Emily and the girl who had just opened the door were startled for a moment, but soon calmed down.

"Hi, you must be Emily," the other girl said.

"Yeah," Emily confirmed.

"I'm Kaz," the other girl added, extending her hand, which Emily shook.

She looked about Emily's age, had a very slight build, extremely pale skin, and curly red hair. She was wearing a skating t-shirt, cargo shorts, sneakers and a baseball cap.

Kaz turned around.

"Paige, Emily's here!" she called out to Paige.

"Oh, thanks, I'll be there in a minute!" Paige called back, before resuming her argument, which seemed to be wrapping up now.

Kaz turned back to Emily.

"Lovely meeting you," she said, then set off down the stairs.

Emily went inside. It appeared to be Caleb that Paige was arguing with, though he didn't look too stressed. They exchanged a quick look and Caleb nodded before Paige turned to Emily.

"Hey, Em, how's it going?" Paige asked.

"Good, good," Emily said.

"Sorry, just band stuff," Paige explained.

"Don't ever join a band," Caleb added. "Sometime it's cool, and sometimes it sucks dog's balls."

"Weren't you watching a video about that the other day?" Paige asked him.

"Don't knock it unless you've tried it," Caleb responded.

"Balls," Paige scoffed. "As if."

Emily wasn't quite sure what to say.

Paige turned back to Emily, and instantly changed her demeanour.

"I'm sorry, house joke. It's about... um..." she began before trailing off. "So can I get you anything? Have you had lunch?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Emily replied.

"Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds to it," Caleb announced.

With a wave he left them, proceeded across the large open area that made up the lower floor, then disappeared through a door in the far corner.

"Caleb's an old friend," Paige explained. "Meeting him was the one good thing that came from living in that squat. I got him into the 'rags not long after I joined and they lost their old drummer."

"Cool," Emily said. "He seems nice."

"Yeah," Paige agreed. "He couldn't actually play at that stage, but he's picked it up pretty quickly."

"How long have you been playing bass?" Emily asked.

"Since just before I joined," Paige replied. "That's the good thing about punk. It's simple. It's more about the energy than the skill."

"Yeah," Emily agreed, since it seemed the right thing to say.

"What bands do you like?" Paige asked.

Emily froze. There was no good answer to this. At least, no honest answer that wouldn't give away her secret.

"I'm sort of expanding my musical tastes these days," Emily replied. That was a good one. "Since I started Uni, really."

"Is that how you discovered us?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Emily confirmed.

Emily looked into Paige's eyes, and in that moment she knew that Paige knew. Somehow it was OK, though.

"So, what do you look for in a band?" Paige asked. "A really hot chick playing bass?"

"Totally," Emily agreed.

Paige had a playful grin now, and stepped forward, closer to Emily.

"I'm so glad you came today," she said. "I was a bit nervous."

"Me too," Emily confessed. "I thought you might think I was..."

"A groupie?" Paige suggested.

"Yeah," Emily confirmed. "It's not like that. Not at all."

"You know, that happens far less than people imagine," Paige explained.

"Well, this is not just about the sex," Emily declared. "However mind blowing that may have been."

"Agreed," Paige responded. "Speaking of which, do you want to go upstairs."

"OK," Emily replied eagerly.

* * *

><p>Emily was having trouble holding back the laughter. She and Paige were in Paige's room now, but somehow a simple make out session had taken an unexpected twist.<p>

It had started when Paige had made a comment about Emily throwing her down on the bed the other night. After many apologies from Emily and reassurances from Paige, Emily decided to test the waters.

"Usually I kind of like it the other way around," Emily nervously confessed, studying Paige's face for a reaction. Paige just took it as if Emily had told her what flavour soft drink she liked.

Then, after a moment's thought, Paige made a suggestion.

"Hey, I know some wrestling moves," Paige said.

"You do wrestling?" Emily asked, surprised at the revelation.

"No, but I've watched it on TV," Paige explained. "I've gotta warn you though, I'll win."

"Perfect," Emily responded, flashing Paige a cheeky grin.

Right at that moment, the sound of drums roaring and crashing came from downstairs.

"Cool, Caleb's having a practice," Paige observed.

"Cool?" Emily inquired.

"Yeah, well, you know how the door to my room doesn't quite shut," Paige explained. "It's good to have some noise in the place or everyone can hear."

Oh. Emily decided that probably was good then.

So now Emily wand Paige were standing on Paige's mattress, facing each other in combat poses, with Caleb unwittingly providing the soundtrack. And Emily couldn't stop laughing.

In an instant Paige had tackled Emily and pinned her down on the bed. Emily shrieked, but soon found herself laughing again as Paige had her locked in position.

"One point to me," Paige announced, letting Emily go.

"What's that mean?" Emily asked.

"In this case, I think it means..." Paige thought for a moment, "...you take off an item of clothing."

"Are we playing strip wrestling?" Emily asked.

"We could be," Paige replied.

Emily had to admit she was enjoying this. She didn't have many clothes on to choose from, however. It was a hot day, and she just had a summer dress and her underwear. Ah, and her sandals.

Off came one sandal.

"Next round!" Paige announced.

Emily stood up and they faced each other, but in a flash Paige had swept Emily's legs out from under her and had her pinned down on her back again.

"Another point to me," Paige said again.

Off came another sandal.

It started again. Emily charged at Paige, who tripped her over and flipped her at the same time. Once again Emily found herself being held down. By now she was laughing hysterically, but Paige was strong, and Emily liked it. Those muscles in her arms. Damn.

It was time. Emily stood once Paige let her go, and casually pulled her dress up over her head and threw it away. Paige's eyes widened at the sight of Emily in just her underwear. Emily loved that.

Emily's heart was racing now. There was no way she could win against Paige, and she knew that soon she would be naked. And it was really turning her on.

They faced off again, Paige still fully clothed in a t-shirt and cut-off jeans, Emily... not still fully clothed.

Paige picked Emily up, but then fell over backwards with Emily on top of her.

"Oh no, you got me!" Paige cried with mock alarm.

"You did that on purpose," Emily accused her as she got up.

Paige just smiled.

Paige had begun barefoot, so off came her t-shirt.

The next round Emily grabbed Paige around the waist, which prompted Paige to fall backwards.

"Another point to you," Paige announced. "You're just learning fast."

Off came her jeans.

Now they were both just in their underwear. Emily was getting frustrated. She wanted Paige to win again, but at the same time seeing Paige like this was pretty hot, and from now on they would be grappling skin against skin.

Emily charged at Paige, grasping at the other girl, but Paige used Emily's momentum to flip her over, then once she was down pulled Emily's legs up so that Emily's back was pressed down and she couldn't move. Emily struggled a little, but Paige had her.

Emily grinned as Paige let her go, then took her bra off, holding eye contact with Paige the whole time.

"Is this still OK?" Paige asked her.

"Totally," Emily assured her. "It's more than OK. Now, come on, you've almost won."

They faced off again, this time Paige initiating the attack. Before Emily even knew what was happening she was lying face down on the mattress with Paige's weight on top of her. Paige then put both arms around one of Emily's legs and flipped her over.

Paige let go of Emily's leg, but hooked her own leg around instead, then used her hands to grab Emily wrists and hold them down. Emily couldn't move. Paige stared at her, and Emily just wanted to kiss the other girl, but they couldn't yet.

"And another point to me," Paige said. "It looks like I win."

"Don't let go," Emily quickly responded.

"But you have to..." Paige began.

"I want _you_ to," Emily pleaded. "I want you to take them off. I want you to hold me down and take them off. If that's alright, I mean."

Paige adjusted her position a little, so that she only needed one hand to pin Emily's arms. She had her whole body weight over Emily now. Now Paige had her other had free to reach down to Emily's panties. She pushed them down a little, then used her leg to keep pushing them down until they were off completely.

She leaned in and kissed Emily, still pressing her down on the mattress, the with her hand started massaging Emily's clit.

Emily pushed back a little, but not too much. She could have broken free if she had wanted to, but she didn't. She really, really didn't. Paige's body was tense too, like Emily's, her muscles hard with effort, and as she pleasured Emily she was also grinding against Emily's leg.

"Oh fuck, Paige, that feels so good," Emily said.

"You're so gorgeous," Paige whispered.

"Thanks," Emily said, chuckling a little between breaths.

Paige was pushing Emily harder now, and Emily's body wanted to writhe, but couldn't. Paige was holding her in place, and it was just making it more intense.

"Oh God, Paige, yes!" Emily cried.

Then it hit her, sooner and more powerfully than she had expected. She was shaking and convulsing, and Paige couldn't hold her anymore. It was like her whole body was taken over with the wonderful sensation that radiated from her cunt.

She had broken free now. She could hear herself screaming with pleasure as the drums from downstairs pounded away. And as she did her whole brain was flooded with bliss, and she felt like she was floating back down to earth, down into Paige's arms.

* * *

><p>It was evening now, and they were at the pizza shop near Paige's house. They had picked an outside table and were sharing a ham and pineapple pizza, talking, and watching the car lights pass in the twilight.<p>

'So tell me something about yourself," Paige proposed.

"Ask me a question," Emily suggested.

"OK, then, dog or cat?" Paige asked.

"I would love to get a dog," Emily replied. "But my mum would never let us. They make too much mess, apparently."

"Not if you get the right dog," Paige countered.

"My mum would disagree," Emily commented. "Now, my turn. Why don't you have your own phone?"

"That woman I used to live with who worked for a drug dealer," Paige began. "She made me sign for a phone and now I owe Telstra a whole lot of money. I can't get a phone of my own, or even risk giving any phone company my address."

"That sucks," Emily observed.

"Yeah," Paige agreed. "I've spoken to the local community legal service and they might be able to do something, but it will take a while."

"OK, ask me something else," Emily said.

"This one's a bit embarrassing, but... what's your surname?" Paige asked. "I should really have asked earlier, sorry."

"No worries," Emily responded. "And it's Fields."

"Emily Fields," Paige said. "Nice."

"My turn," Emily declared. "Are you hoping to make a career out of music? Like, do you want to be a rock star or is it just something you enjoy?"

"Hardly anyone makes a living out of it," Paige explained. "Especially not in our particular genre. Could you imagine a band like the 'rags getting famous?"

"I guess not," Emily conceded.

"Can I ask you something a bit more personal?" Paige asked.

"Go for it," Emily responded.

"Are you out to your family?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Emily replied.

"How did they take it?" Paige asked.

"It took my mum a while," Emily explained. "She didn't freak too much, she just didn't believe it. My first girlfriend was this girl from school called Maya, and mum would always call her my 'friend' and stuff like that. She'd still try to tell me the rules about boys, and I'd keep telling her that there wouldn't be any boys. Eventually I wore her down. Dad was OK, he just didn't give a shit."

"Are they cool now?" Paige asked.

"Totally," Emily replied. "They ended up having to change churches, because their old congregation was pretty bad, but..."

"Wow, that's amazing," Paige exclaimed.

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "Mum's proud of me now. And I'm pretty proud of her."

Paige was smiling, but Emily could see her eyes welling up. She reached across the table and took hold of Paige's hand.

"I like hearing stories like that," Paige explained. "I like to know that it can work out, for some people at least. I mean, I know it was hard for you too..."

"Not like what you went through," Emily insisted.

"Everyone's story is different," Paige responded. "Yours is just as important as mine."

"Do you miss them?" Emily asked. "Your family, I mean."

"I miss my sisters and my brother," Paige replied. "I miss my mum a little. I don't miss my dad at all. He can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned."

Emily looked into Paige's eyes, and she could see the hurt. She wished she could take it away, but she knew she couldn't. She cared about Paige, though, so that was what she could do. She could show Paige that she cared. Maybe that would be what Paige needed right now.

* * *

><p>"So how was your weekend?" Aria asked.<p>

"Good," Emily replied.

Aria stared at her for a moment.

"So did you... do anything?" Aria asked.

"Um, yeah," Emily responded.

There was another pause.

"Em, you've gotta give me something here," Aria insisted. "Last night I had Spencer on the phone asking me why someone from Uni had met you at a gig in Fitzroy."

"OK then, I went to a party Friday night," Emily explained. "Paige invited me."

"That's fantastic," Aria responded. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, I did," Emily replied. "What was really nice was that we talked, you know. I got to sit down and talk with her, and she really opened up to me."

"I am so happy for you," Aria said. "Where was this party?"

"At Paige's place," Emily replied.

"Wait, you scored an invite to a party at the warehouse?" Aria asked. "Do you realise how officially cool that now makes you? You can be boasting about this for years to come."

"I honestly didn't know," Emily replied.

"I've heard stories about those parties," Aria noted. "Is it all true?"

"It was just a party," Emily replied.

It was more than that for her, though. Much more than that.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **The Australian Paily saga continues.

As usual, sections in italics are flashforwards, but in some exciting news, this is the chapter where the main narrative catches up with the conversation that's been going on in the flashforwards. (The next round of chapters will have a new flashforward.)

This story will be long, with many chapters. Like, heaps. Seriously, it's just getting started. I might take a little bit of a break after this chapter, though. I want to write some more chapters for "The long way home", and this is a natural break in the action for this story. (There will be some drama coming up after this.)

* * *

><p><em>"So when do we get to meet her?" Spencer asked.<em>

_"Yeah," Aria chipped in._

_"This will be so cool," Hanna added._

_Somehow Hanna's enthusiasm made Emily nervous._

_"Um, she's got a gig on Friday night, if anyone's interested," Emily suggested._

_"I would love to but we've got a family thing," Aria responded._

_"Maybe somewhere else," Spencer countered._

_"You could bring her along to Bridget's party Saturday night," Hanna announced._

_"I wasn't sure if..." Emily began._

_"No, no, it will be perfect," Hanna insisted. "You can show her off to everyone."_

_"You mean you can show off that Emily's girlfriend is in a band," Aria proposed._

_"That too," Hanna agreed. "Mona will be so jealous."_

_"Mona's boyfriend is a rich DJ," Spencer reminded her. "She's not going to give a shit."_

_Aria winced at the mention of Noel._

_"Yes, let's bring up that Mona is dating my ex," she said._

_"Well that's better than dating your brother, isn't it?" Hanna responded._

_"You tell us," Spencer cut in. "You've kissed both of them."_

_"I've done more than kiss..." Hanna began._

_"Thank you, Hanna!" Aria interrupted, loudly and abruptly. _

_"Anyway, Spencer's wrong, as usual," Hanna declared._

_"What am I wrong about?" Spencer asked._

_"Punk rocker definitely trumps DJ," Hanna replied. "Anyway, Emily's such a goody-goody it will be..."_

_"A goody-goody?" Emily asked._

_"You are," Hanna confirmed, as if it were obvious. "That's what's so cool. I can't wait to see the looks on all their faces. Our little Emily is finally rebelling." _

_"I'm not rebelling, Hanna, I actually like her," Emily clarified._

_"Whatever," Hanna responded. "Hey, can I be there when your mum sees her? That's gonna be so good."_

_Emily, Spencer and Aria all stared at her for a moment._

_"I'm just saying," she muttered, looking a little sheepish, but still unconvinced as to why this was a bad idea._

_"So, Emily, since we are talking about your girlfriend..." Spencer began._

_"I distinctly remember a few minutes ago saying I don't know if it's even a relationship yet," Emily interrupted._

_"OK, since we are talking about the girl you may or may not be dating but have had sex with on multiple occasions and are clearly smitten with," Spencer corrected herself, "do you want to bring her along to Bridget's party so we can all meet her and Hanna can bask in the glow of you being with a tough bad girl?"_

_As much as Emily hated being the centre of attention, and she knew she would be if Hanna had anything to do with it, she hated disappointing people even more, and she could see they were all keen to meet Paige. It was time._

_"Yeah, OK," she said._

* * *

><p>Emily had Tuesday afternoon off, so she decided she would pay Paige a visit. The night before she had called Caitlin's number and spoken to Paige, so it was all morning though, she had had a bit of a dilemma. Should she wear her normal uni clothes? And how nerdy did she want to be?<p>

The warehouse was only about a half an hour walk from Uni, so after her classes Emily did her gym workout then set off. She was proudly wearing shorts and a t-shirt with Maxwell's equations on it.

Paige was there, as promised, but was home by herself. It was the quietest Emily had seen the place. Paige seemed unphased by Emily's outfit, but kept glancing at her face. Emily was starting to wonder what was wrong.

"Did you want a drink?" Paige asked once Emily was inside. "We've got some juice."

"That would be nice," Emily replied.

"I love your glasses," Paige commented.

Emily had forgotten she was wearing them, and that Paige hadn't seen her in glasses before.

"Thanks," Emily responded.

"You should wear them all the time," Paige suggested.

"I don't need them all the time," Emily explained.

Paige just shrugged her shoulders.

The building really was beautiful one the inside as well as the outside. It had a bit of an echo now, but it was starting to feel a little more homely despite the industrial fixtures. The ground floor was basically one big lounge room now, filled with about a dozen old couches. There were rugs on the floor, and an impressive looking stereo in the corner, with an old TV sitting next to it.

Emily and Paige settled down on one of the couches, drinks in hand.

"So what were your classes this morning?" Paige asked.

"Oh just science stuff," Emily responded.

"What were they?" Paige asked again. "I'm interested."

"Um, OK, I had two lectures for applied maths, one on partial differential equations, and one on numerical methods..."

"So what are they for?" Paige asked.

"Well, differential equations can be used for modeling different types of physical systems, and numerical methods is using computers to crunch the numbers," Emily explained. "It's actually really interesting, because it's not just putting in the equations and getting a result, you can actually picture the relationships between the values at different points as part of the solution, and... basically you get really cool graphs."

"That's awesome," Paige said. "This is like, calculus and stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Emily confirmed.

"I missed out on calculus," Paige commented. "I tried teaching myself some maths once, Caitlin lent me some textbooks, but I never got very far. It's really confusing."

"Have you thought of going to the CAE or something?" Emily asked.

"Totally," Paige agreed. "I'm getting my money together and stuff now, it will just be a matter of finding time between work and the band. I really want to get my VCE though."

"Well, if you ever need a tutor..." Emily suggested.

"Thanks, Em," Paige replied with a smile. "Now tell me, what else are you studying?"

"I'm doing a physics major, so at the moment we're doing nuclear physics, relativity, astrophysics..."

"Is that like astronomy?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Emily confirmed. "But a specialised subject. I'm starting core astronomy next year."

"Wow, that's so awesome," Paige enthused. "Is that the sort of thing you'd like to do?"

"Yeah," Emily replied. "It's been my dream since I was a little girl. Mum and Dad used to take me out to the country, ah, one of Dad's cousins has a farm near Yea, and the skies are really clear there. We've got a telescope, and we would stay up late just looking at stars and planets and nebulae. I'd just get lost in the... I don't know if this sounds corny, but just the wonder of it all."

Paige was gazing at Emily now, a soft smile on her lips, and affection in her eyes.

"That's beautiful, Em," she said.

Paige put her drink down, and Emily followed suit. They both leaned in and kissed. It was nice talking to Paige, but this was nice too. They kissed easily, with no real hurry, Emily just enjoying the feel and taste of her lover's mouth.

A quiet afternoon making out with Paige. Emily liked that idea.

Emily was embracing Paige now, and Paige was embracing her too. Emily let her fingertips glide down Paige's forearm, lightly brushing Paige's skin until she could feel the goosebumps rising. And then there was Paige's hair, smooth and fun to play with. And still the kissing.

Paige's hand was on Emily's thigh now, moving back and forth, up and down. Emily found herself willing it to move higher, but it always stopped just short of the hem of her shorts.

They kept kissing. Maybe a little harder now, but just kissing. The weekend had been fun, but it was not like she had to have sex every time she saw Paige. She could wait. She could be patient.

Paige started kissing Emily's neck now. Emily shivered at the thrill of Paige's lips moving up and down the sensitive skin of her neck. Then Paige ran the tip of her tongue up to Emily's ear and gently sucked on Emily's earlobe. Paige's tongue flicked into Emily's ear. Emily gasped.

Paige's hand was still on Emily's thigh, slowly moving up, like she was teasing Emily. Emily parted her legs a little, and Paige kept going, her fingers running along the outside of Emily's shorts before settling on the crotch, just over Emily's mound. Paige started lightly rubbing.

Oh God.

Emily may have still been fully clothed, but she could feel it. Damn, she could feel it. She leaned back on the couch and let Paige keep going.

"Holy shit, Paige," Emily moaned.

Paige chuckled a little and continued. Emily was trembling already.

"Hey, Em," Paige whispered in Emily's ear. "The other night when you just took your top off, that was so hot."

Emily smiled a little. She was happy to oblige. With Paige still pleasuring her, she pulled her t-shirt off then through it away, then did the same with her bra. Paige took the opportunity to lightly stroke Emily's breasts, before taking one nipple into her mouth, circling it with her tongue and sucking on it.

"Oh fuck that feels so good," Emily sighed. "Fuck yes."

And it was good, but Emily wanted more.

Fuck it.

She grabbed the waist of her shorts and pulled them and her panties down in one motion, almost catching Paige's hand in the process. They were around her ankles now and got stuck for a moment, but Emily grabbed them and threw them away.

That was better.

"OK, go for it," she instructed Paige.

Paige took her and kissed her, hard this time. Her hand was working Emily again, massaging her clit, and soon Emily felt Paige's fingers slide inside her. Emily grabbed Paige's head with both hands as they kissed. She couldn't hold on much longer.

Paige broke the kissed and just watched Emily now.

"Oh fuck yes!" Emily cried.

She was climaxing now, but Paige didn't quit.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuccckkkk!" Emily screamed, her voice echoing around the empty building, but she didn't care. She was overwhelmed.

It was bliss.

It was heaven.

And it kept going.

Emily's back was arched and her arms outstretched. How did this woman do this to her? Why was it so special being fucked by Paige?

Her body shook one last time, then started to settle.

Emily looked up at Paige, who was smiling proudly. That smile. Paige was just so beautiful, Emily couldn't take her eyes of her.

Emily was falling for her, she knew she was. And it was wonderful.

Emily let herself slowly relax, but she certainly didn't want to stop there. Maybe it was the workout beforehand, but she got her breath back pretty quickly this time.

"Look what's happened again," Emily observed, poking at Paige's clothes.

"OK, then," Paige declared, pulling off her top and her bra, much as Emily had done.

Paige was right, it was pretty hot.

Paige straddled Emily now, her breasts in Emily's face, which was fine by Emily. They were fun. She had one in each hand, kissing each in turn, quick pecks at first, then slower, then with some tongue...

She heard the door open behind them.

"Oh fuck!" Paige exclaimed, ducking down below the top of the couch for cover.

Footsteps. Their couch was facing away from the door, but still...

"Hey, Nina!" Paige called out.

"Hey, Paige!" Nina responded.

Emily was very aware that she was naked, and from a quick survey of her surroundings her clothes were scattered all over the floor. Paige was OK, she had her top nearby and was hurriedly putting it back on.

"Um, Nina, this is Emily," Paige said.

"Hi Emily," Nina called out, cheerfully.

Emily peeked over the top of the couch and waved.

"Hi Nina," she responded.

Nina was... a hippy was the first word that came to Emily's mind, but she immediately felt bad about it. Nina may have been wearing a long, patchwork skirt, a tie-dyed top, a sequined scarf, and a velvet hat from which emerged wavy brown hair which almost reached her waist, but... OK, she was a hippy.

"I'll just go upstairs for a little," Nina mentioned.

"Yeah, we might do that in a minute," Paige responded.

Nina gave them both a smile and headed off.

* * *

><p>It was supposed to be a date. That was what they had planned.<p>

It was Saturday night, and they were going to go out on a proper date. Emily had organised, via Caitlin's phone as usual, to drop around at Paige's first, since that was the easiest place to meet up. Then they would go out.

When Emily had arrived she had met a few more of Paige's housemates, Sam, Jarryd, Aanya and Liana, but Paige just had to grab something from her room. It made sense for Emily to go with her.

And once they were up there, it was just too tempting to kiss Paige. There was no rush to go out, anyway.

Now, a few hours later, Emily was lying face down, her face and arms on the floor, her legs on the bed, trying to get her breath back.

She looked over at Paige, who was similarly recovering, if in a slightly more dignified position.

"You want a break?" Emily asked.

"No," Paige responded.

"Me neither," Emily agreed.

"Is there anything else you like to do?" Paige asked.

Emily pondered for a moment. She wasn't sure if it was too early to share. Things were moving so fast. But then, that was it. They were moving quickly, and Emily was loving it.

"I like being restrained," Emily replied. "Usually just my wrists, like with rope or handcuffs or something."

Paige thought for a moment, but she didn't look shocked.

"We don't have any rope," she explained. "We've got lots of gaffer tape... I know! I'm pretty sure Kaz has got some handcuffs. We could borrow them."

Paige was so excited with her idea that she headed straight out the door, doubling back only to put on a long t-shirt before leaving the room. Emily stayed where she was. She could hear Paige knocking on her neighbour's bedroom door, then the door opening.

"Hey Kaz, do you have some handcuffs we could borrow?" Paige asked.

This was happening very quickly, and as much as Emily firmly believed she shouldn't be embarrassed about what she liked, she wasn't quite sure she was ready to share it with the entire household.

"Sure, do you want plain or fluffy?" Kaz responded.

"Plain or fluffy, Em?" Paige called out.

Emily covered up a little with her jacket, then tentatively pocked her head around the corner. This was all completely normal, she told herself, and nothing to be ashamed of.

"Fluffy, I guess," Emily replied. "Are they comfortable?"

"Definitely," Kaz assured her with a smile on her face.

Kaz disappeared into her room, and a moment later emerged and presented Paige with a pair of handcuffs with fluffy red trim.

"Have fun," Kaz said cheerfully.

Once they were back in Paige's room, logistical questions took over.

"What are we going to handcuff you to?" Paige asked.

Her bed was only a mattress, so it had no railings. The filing cabinet didn't lock, so the handles would be useless.

"I know," Paige announced, and promptly started moving her desk over towards the bed.

Soon they were good. Emily was lying sideways on the mattress, her arms reaching above her head. Paige carefully clasped the cuffs around one wrist, then the other. Emily loved the sound of the click as they snapped into place.

"Is that OK?" Paige asked.

Emily gave them a bit of a test. Nice and secure.

"Yep," she replied.

"Sorry, should I be saying anything at this point?" Paige asked.

"No, that's fine," Emily replied.

Emily was already enjoying herself though, stretched out in front of Paige, who was kneeling beside her.

Paige ran her her hand down Emily's arm, past her shoulder and over her breast. It tickled a little, but that was good too. The position Emily was in pushed her breasts forward, something Paige had clearly noticed. Paige's hand kept going, across Emily's stomach, over her hip and down her legs.

"Wow," Paige said.

"I'm all yours," Emily whispered.

Paige leaned forward and started to kiss Emily's stomach. She flicked her tongue into Emily's belly button, then kept kissing. The feeling of Paige's lips softly touching her made Emily's skin tingle. Now Paige moved to Emily ribs and Emily squirmed. She had always been sensitive there. Paige immediately stopped.

"Sorry," Paige said.

"No, that's fine, keep going," Emily pleaded. "Normally I hate being tickled, but when I'm turned on..."

Paige smiled and moved in closer. This time was even worse because of the anticipation. Emily looked away, waiting for the kiss... then she felt it, just to the side of her breast, and her body shivered. Paige kept kissing her, but also ran her fingertips along Emily's ribcage and then gently brushed them on Emily's underarm.

Emily scrunched her eyes up and instinctively pulled against the handcuffs, but there was nothing she could do. She was giggling and shuddering at Paige's touch, and she could feel herself becoming more and more aroused.

Emily had only done this with one other woman, but every time she did it it felt like an offering. Maya had always taken it as her cue to fuck Emily senseless, something which Emily certainly never complained about. Maya was an amazing lover. Paige had a different aura to her, though. She was almost reverential. Emily was giving herself to Paige, and Paige was receiving this gift with gratitude and joy, like it was Christmas morning. Emily liked that.

Paige kissed Emily's breast, starting from the nipple then moving outwards in a slow spiral. As she did, Emily briefly felt the hardness of teeth mixed with the softness of Paige's lips.

"Mark me," Emily gasped.

"Yeah?" Paige asked.

"Please," Emily begged. "Mark me."

"Where?" Paige asked.

Emily chuckled a little.

"Anywhere covered by a one-piece swimsuit," she replied. "But right there will do fine."

"That's not too sensitive if I do it on your boob?" Paige asked.

"Not at all," Emily assured her. Paige just asking that turned her on. "And you've seen how I react. I'll tell you if I want you to stop, but otherwise keep going."

"OK," Paige responded.

She pressed her open mouth against Emily's breast and started sucking. The skin there was sensitive, and while it wasn't painful, the feeling was intense. Emily again pulled at her handcuffs and found herself both laughing and squealing. Unable to do anything else, Emily was kicking her legs now. Paige, as instructed, ignored all of this and kept going.

Eventually Paige let go with her mouth, and looked at the spot for a moment, pleased with herself.

"I think that will be a good one," she said. "Now, is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Eat me," Emily instructed her.

Paige kissed Emily on the lips, then stared into her eyes. As she did, she reached down and started casually massaging Emily's clit with her finger.

"Oh God" Emily said. "I'm so close that could get me there by itself."

"That's interesting," Paige responded. "Because I've been wondering how many times I can get you to come in one session."

"Please," Emily begged.

Paige just gave her a mischievous grin. She slowed down a little, moving her finger with leisurely, deliberate strokes. Emily could still feel the pleasure building, though.

"Paige, please, I'm almost there," Emily protested. "I want you to lick me."

Emily tried to relax, tried to hold back. Paige's strokes got slower and slower until they stopped entirely. Emily felt like she was suspended on the brink of climaxing. The room was perfectly still now, except for Emily's nervous shaking. She could feel her heart beating like her chest could barely hold it.

Paige moved down now, positioning herself between Emily's legs. Paige gently parted Emily's mound with her fingers, and Emily could feel the cool air of the room on her the wet skin of her pussy. Then, for a few seconds which felt like an eternity, Paige waited.

"Please," Emily implored her. Emily's voice was shaky, and she was almost breathless.

Then Emily felt the tip of Paige's tongue begin to meander around the folds of her cunt.

Emily breathed deeply. She knew she was almost there, but she wanted this to last. Paige wasn't even going quickly either, just letting her tongue lazily wander around. Emily was just so excited, though, the mere touch of Paige's tongue felt electric.

As she had done before, Paige slowed down. Emily was trembling with anticipation now. Paige's tongue flicked up... and down... up... and down.

Emily couldn't stand it any longer.

"Paige, I need to you to make me come," she cried breathlessly.

For a moment Paige stopped.

Emily grabbed the chain on her handcuffs, struggling against them.

"Please," she whimpered.

Paige cut loose now, and Emily could feel then other girl's tongue as it intensely and vigorously stimulated her, lapping at the folds of her cunt. Emily's climax was building. Paige pushed two fingers inside of Emily, and Emily's mouth fell open and her eyes widened at the shock.

Emily was shaking uncontrollably now, as the orgasm hit her with a jolt. All of the tension which Paige had so carefully built up was now flowing through her, causing her to buck and cry out. She could still feel Paige's fingers, and Paige's tongue, as she rode the waves of ecstasy which had taken over her body.

Slowly she became aware of her surroundings again.

Every muscle in her body was relaxing, one by one, as she fell back down onto the mattress. Paige finally stopped, and withdrew her fingers from inside Emily.

"You enjoy that?" Paige asked, a proud grin on her face.

"I did," Emily confirmed.

"I got that impression," Paige noted.

"Now get me out of these handcuffs so I can hug you," Emily demanded.

Paige suddenly looked concerned.

"Shit, I forgot to get the keys," Paige explained.

Paige bounded up and went next door, leaving Emily still lying on the mattress, chained to the table.

"Hey, Kaz," Emily could hear Paige saying. "Sorry, I forgot to ask for the key to those cuffs."

"They don't need keys," Kaz explained. "There's a release button near the clasp."

"Great, thanks," Paige replied.

"Sounds like you two had fun," Kaz observed.

"Oh yeah, I probably should have put some music on," Paige responded.

"Don't worry about it," Kaz responded. "I was doing my meditation, and it was actually really interesting."

When Paige came back in, it occurred to Emily that Paige was still naked. Kaz hadn't seemed to mind.

After a quick search Paige found the button, and Emily was free. As promised, she put her arms around Paige and they lay there, hugging. After all the activity, it was nice to just have a quiet moment, the two of them together.

Emily was happy, and she was content. Being with Paige just felt... right.

* * *

><p>Emily was on her way to the physics lab when she got the call from Spencer.<p>

"Hey Spence," Emily said. "I've only got a couple of minutes."

"That's fine, I just wanted to see if you wanted to come over tonight," Spencer informed her. "I was just thinking we haven't had a get together with just the four of us for a while."

"Yeah, sure," Emily replied.

"Great," Spencer declared. "It'll be fun to have a catch up, you know. Tell each other any news we might have that we want to share with our best friends. Just anything that's happening in our lives that the people who know us better than anyone would be interested in."

_Bloody Aria_, Emily thought.

"Cool," Emily responded, as deadpan as she could. "I'll look forward to hearing all your news."

* * *

><p>Emily was excited to see Paige the next day. Somehow telling the others made what she had with Paige see more real, and she wanted to share that with Paige. In fact, Emily was so keen she went around even though she couldn't get on to Caitlin to check if Paige would even be there. Luck was on her side, though, and Paige was home. Now they were just standing in the kitchen talking.<p>

"I told my friends about us last night," Emily announced. She liked saying 'us'. "They want to meet you."

"Well I would love to meet them," Paige responded.

"There's a party on Saturday night, if you'd like to come," Emily added.

"Totally," Paige confirmed.

Emily just stood there for a moment, beaming at Paige.

"Oh, and another thing... I got you a present," Emily announced. She fished through her bag and pulled out a small, gift-wrapped item, which she presented to Paige.

"Wow, thanks Em," Paige said as she took the wrapping off. Once she saw what it was, she grinned.

"It's my old phone," Emily explained. "It's years out of date, but you can still make calls with it. I put in a new prepaid sim card, so it's in my name, but all you have to do is get a voucher when you want to top up. And I put my number in your contacts list."

"Em, that's amazing," Paige said, looking a little stunned. "Thank you so much."

"Well, this means we can keep in touch without having to use Caitlin as your PA," Emily explained.

"Thank you," Paige said again, holding her new phone in her hand. It was just an old Nokia, no apps, no camera, just a phone, but she was admiring it like it was the best thing ever. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," Emily agreed.

"I was talking to my boss at work the other day..." Paige began.

"Where do you work?" Emily asked.

"At this record store in the city," Paige replied. "It's a small second hand place in a lane off Bourke St. I'm just casual, but I get enough hours to pay rent and stuff, so that's OK."

"I should visit you some time," Emily suggested.

"Absolutely," Paige agreed.

"Sorry, I interrupted your story," Emily said.

"No worries," Paige responded. "So, yeah, I was talking to my boss... he's the owner and there's, like, three other casuals and me, so that's it. Anyway, it gets pretty quiet at times, so we were just talking about shit and somehow we got onto astronomy. I think his niece visited the Old Melbourne Telescope or something..."

"I volunteer there sometimes," Emily noted. "Oops, sorry, I did it again."

"That's fine," Paige assured her. "Anyway, I said 'Emily studies astronomy' and he said 'Who's Emily?' and I said 'She's my girlfriend', and, you know... it felt really good saying that, so I hope that's OK."

Emily couldn't speak for a moment, just from smiling so hard. Her eyes welled up and she threw her arms around Paige.

"So we're girlfriends, right?" Paige asked.

"Yes, yes," Emily replied, hugging Paige as hard as she could_. _"We're girlfriends."


End file.
